NBC Nightly News - 1982-06-29

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:05] This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokco

[0:09] in New York, Roger Mud in Washington,

[0:11] and commentary by John Chancellor.

[0:14] Good evening. John Hinckley Jr. not

[0:16] guilty by reason of insanity, now says

[0:19] he feels no remorse for shooting

[0:21] President Reagan. in a telephone

[0:23] interview he initiated with a Washington

[0:25] Post reporter who had covered his trial.

[0:27] Hinckley also said he was pleased with

[0:29] his quarters at the mental hospital.

[0:31] "They call me Mr. Hinckley," he said.

[0:33] Here's Carl Stern.

[0:36] When Hinckley was taken by helicopter

[0:38] behind the walls of St. Elizabeth's

[0:40] mental hospital, he did not lose his

[0:41] appetite for public attention. In four

[0:44] telephone calls over the weekend to the

[0:46] Washington Post, the newspaper reported

[0:48] today that Hinckley said he was not

[0:50] sorry he shot the president and a Secret

[0:52] Service agent and was shocked that the

[0:54] jury accepted the insanity defense. Said

[0:56] Hinckley of Reagan. I helped his

[0:58] presidency. After I shot him, his polls

[1:00] went up 20%.

[1:02] Hinckley said he likes it so far at St.

[1:04] Elizabeth's that people asked for his

[1:06] autograph, that he won three candy bars

[1:08] playing bingo. He said as soon as

[1:11] doctors determine he is well, I'm going

[1:12] to walk out the door whether the public

[1:14] likes it or not. His first sanity

[1:17] hearing is scheduled for August 9th.

[1:19] Hankley said he no longer considers

[1:21] himself dangerous, except perhaps to

[1:23] Jodie Foster. He said he is permitted to

[1:25] have a picture of her in his room. He

[1:27] said when he shot the president, he did

[1:29] it to turn Jodie Foster's life upside

[1:31] down. Hankley said he was sorry for the

[1:34] suffering he caused James Brady. He

[1:37] said, "I just honestly wish I could go

[1:38] back before that shooting and let him

[1:40] move 2 in out of the way." Hinckley said

[1:43] in the courtroom he was so sure of a

[1:45] guilty verdict that he had prepared a

[1:47] four-page speech. In it, he wrote, "I

[1:49] love my parents and Jodie Foster so much

[1:52] that I have this compulsion to destroy

[1:54] them. My assassination attempt was an

[1:57] act of love." Carl Stern, NBC News,

[2:00] Washington.

[2:02] >> Both Hinckley's lawyer and the people at

[2:04] St. Elizabeth's now say Hinckley's use

[2:05] of the telephone will be strictly

[2:07] supervised. And the George Washington

[2:09] University Hospital said today James

[2:11] Brady checked back in for treatment of

[2:13] blood clots, which is a common problem

[2:15] for people with limited mobility. Tom,

[2:18] San Francisco's new law, making it

[2:20] illegal to own most handguns, is getting

[2:22] a divided reaction. The law, which was

[2:24] signed last night, doesn't go into

[2:26] effect for 30 days, and by then

[2:27] opponents hope to beat it in court. More

[2:30] from Mark Nannon. And this is the first

[2:32] time

[2:33] >> when Mayor Diane Feinstein signed the

[2:35] new law, San Francisco became the first

[2:37] large American city to try to ban

[2:39] handguns. Stores will not be permitted

[2:41] to sell them. Most citizens will not be

[2:43] permitted to own them. Violators could

[2:45] be punished by 30 days in jail and a

[2:47] $500 fine. Feinstein, whose predecessor

[2:50] is mayor was killed by a handgun, says

[2:52] the law is long overdue. said, "We have

[2:55] had enough of the death, dismemberment,

[2:58] and desecration of our society from the

[3:00] handgun."

[3:02] >> But the law's constitutionality is being

[3:04] questioned. District Attorney Arlo Smith

[3:06] says state law prohibits cities like San

[3:08] Francisco from passing such laws.

[3:10] >> Well, if I'm correct, the net effect is

[3:12] zero.

[3:13] >> Smith says he won't prosecute violators

[3:16] unless the courts rule the law is

[3:17] constitutional. This morning, an

[3:19] anti-gun control group promised it would

[3:21] challenge the new law in court. We are

[3:23] going to do everything we can to stop

[3:27] this nonsense of an ordinance that takes

[3:30] away handguns from the innocent citizen

[3:34] and makes him an outlaw.

[3:35] >> Contributions from gun control opponents

[3:37] are increasing. Citizen opinion of the

[3:39] new law is divided.

[3:41] >> I think it's an excellent idea. I'm very

[3:43] pleased that handguns are being banned.

[3:45] >> I feel the mayor is wrong. I think the

[3:47] only people going to have guns are

[3:49] outlaws. The new law is supposed to go

[3:51] into effect in 30 days. Then gun owners

[3:54] will have a three-month grace period to

[3:56] dispose of their weapons, but opponents

[3:58] say their lawsuit will stop the handgun

[4:00] ban from ever taking effect. Mark Nikan,

[4:03] NBC News, San Francisco. And in Italy,

[4:07] seven members of the Italian police team

[4:09] that rescued American General James Doer

[4:11] have been arrested on charges they

[4:13] mistreated their prisoners, including

[4:15] some who were picked up in the Doer

[4:16] investigation. One of the prisoners said

[4:18] that he was beaten repeatedly and given

[4:20] electric shock treatments.

[4:31] Are you a saholic?

[4:33] Do you think most everything needs salt?

[4:36] Then you're a salaholic. Like most

[4:38] Americans, you eat more than 20 times

[4:40] the salt your body needs. Now with new

[4:43] no salt, you can have the flavor of salt

[4:46] without salt. No salt tastes like salt,

[4:49] but there's no salt in no salt. You can

[4:52] shake no salt, cook with no salt. No

[4:56] salt, and shake the salt habit.

[5:01] >> How do the vitamins in these cereals

[5:02] compare with totals?

[5:03] >> I don't know.

[5:04] >> This shield shows total has 100% of a

[5:07] day's allowance of nine vitamins and

[5:08] iron.

[5:09] >> Okay. Put Total Shield on your cereal to

[5:12] compare vitamins.

[5:13] >> I eat grape nuts.

[5:16] >> 25%. Total's a lot higher. But how's it

[5:20] taste?

[5:20] >> Crisp flakes of whole grain wheat

[5:24] >> AND

[5:26] 100% of nine vitamins. That's the total

[5:29] difference.

[5:31] >> Israeli Prime Minister Bean and Defense

[5:33] Minister Chiron warned the PLO again

[5:36] today to get out of Lebanon or else.

[5:38] Their threats came during a lively

[5:40] Knesset debate on Israel's policies in

[5:42] Lebanon. Bob Kernau from Jerusalem.

[5:46] >> In his speech, Prime Minister Bean said

[5:48] Israel won't let the PLO stay in Lebanon

[5:51] under any circumstances. He warned

[5:53] civilians in West Beirut to leave

[5:55] quickly. He said Israel won't withdraw

[5:58] as part of a deal to get the PLO out and

[6:00] said the terrorists would be gone in a

[6:02] day or two.

[6:04] The Knesset was packed during today's

[6:06] debate. For many Israelis, the Lebanon

[6:09] operation has become a topic of great

[6:11] controversy. Defense Minister Ariel

[6:13] Chiron said it's the moment of truth for

[6:15] the PLO that Israeli forces are prepared

[6:18] to wipe out the terrorists in West

[6:20] Beirut.

[6:24] >> That prompted a communist Knesset member

[6:26] to call Chiron a war criminal, the

[6:28] biggest terrorist of all. It was

[6:30] difficult to restore order. When Chiron

[6:33] resumed, he said Israel is the victim of

[6:35] misleading reports, poisonous, and

[6:37] vicious propaganda. The prime minister

[6:39] liked his remarks. The opposition

[6:41] leader, Shimon Perez, was less

[6:43] enthusiastic. "We don't have to enter

[6:45] West Beirut," he said, "and we should

[6:47] not," adding, "Our forces should protect

[6:49] Israel, not police the Middle East."

[6:52] Later, Perez said, "Hurting the PLO does

[6:54] not solve the problem." Tonight,

[6:59] Israeli TV showed four soldiers back

[7:01] from the war. All questioned whether it

[7:03] was necessary to go all the way to

[7:05] Beirut, but there's no widespread

[7:07] protest yet. In fact, a few hundred

[7:09] people supporting the war demonstrated

[7:12] at the Knesset today. Attention here now

[7:14] is on West Beirut on what will happen

[7:16] next. Top Israeli officials are

[7:18] beginning to believe the PLO is stalling

[7:21] for time. Something Israeli leaders

[7:23] continue to insist is quickly running

[7:25] out for the PLO. Bob Kerr, NBC News at

[7:29] the Israeli Knesset.

[7:31] >> While Tel Aviv debates, Beirut waits

[7:34] today. It's still a city under siege,

[7:36] although the siege is more psychological

[7:37] than military. Jack Reynolds reports.

[7:41] >> Beirut 4 days into the ceasefire. The

[7:45] Israelis still dug in at the end of the

[7:47] airport runway, refusing the

[7:49] Palestinians demand that they pull back

[7:51] before the PLO will lay down its arms.

[7:54] Israeli armor now controls most of the

[7:56] Beirut Damascus highway, cutting off any

[7:59] hope of escape for those PLO and Syrians

[8:02] still trapped in West Beirut. West

[8:05] Beirut these days is mostly a city of

[8:07] destroyed buildings, deserted streets,

[8:10] and a kind of eerie silence.

[8:16] For the second day in a row, Israeli

[8:18] jets dropped leaflets urging all

[8:20] civilians to get out of West Beirut

[8:22] while they could. The Israelis are

[8:24] applying psychological pressure, and

[8:26] it's working. People are fleeing. Those

[8:30] that remain line up for food.

[8:32] Uncollected garbage burns in the street.

[8:35] Electric power is out in many places.

[8:38] There's little water.

[8:40] We find many difficulties to fill our

[8:43] tanks with water and many times when we

[8:46] have rush we have many fires we have

[8:48] obliged to go to seaside to fill our

[8:50] tanks from the sea. The PLO have said

[8:54] that West Beirut is their stalenrad.

[8:57] Many parts of this city have that look.

[9:01] Diplomatic efforts to end this conflict

[9:03] center around how to disarm the 5 to

[9:05] 6,000 remaining Palestinians and Syrians

[9:08] and where they'll go if that's

[9:10] accomplished. The disarming will

[9:12] probably fall to the Lebanese army. Up

[9:14] till now, rendered powerless by the

[9:16] presence of so many Syrians and PLO. If

[9:19] the disarming takes place, it's not

[9:22] likely that the PLO will agree to march

[9:24] out on the Beirut Damascus highway under

[9:27] Israeli guns. So, the most likely route

[9:30] is by sea to northern Lebanon or

[9:33] possibly to Egypt. While the

[9:35] negotiations go on behind the scenes,

[9:38] West Beirut waits, worries, and simply

[9:41] tries to survive.

[9:43] Jack Reynolds, NBC News.

[9:47] >> Jack Reynolds would have said, "Jack

[9:49] Reynolds, NBC News, West Beirut." But

[9:51] the words West Beirut were inexplicably

[9:53] removed by the Israeli sensors. Marvin

[9:56] Calb reports from the State Department

[9:58] tonight that a kind of agreement in

[9:59] principle allowing the PLO to disarm and

[10:01] leave Beirut has been reached and that

[10:03] negotiations are at a crucial stage.

[10:06] Senior State Department officials say

[10:07] that presidential envoy Philip Hhabib

[10:09] has about 48 hours to complete

[10:11] negotiations on how many Palestinians

[10:14] will disarm, to what extent they will

[10:16] disarm, where they will go, and how they

[10:18] will get there.

[10:24] Something wrong, Mrs. Phelps.

[10:26] >> Off day, I guess.

[10:28] >> Constipation.

[10:29] >> And my laxative just

[10:30] >> Did you think of Xlax? Give me your

[10:32] hand.

[10:33] >> But that's not the XLax I know.

[10:35] >> That's the XLax pill. We call it the

[10:37] overnight wonder because Xlax gently

[10:40] restores your system's own natural

[10:42] rhythm.

[10:43] >> So in the morning,

[10:44] >> you're back on the bright side because

[10:45] pills or chocolateed, XLax is the

[10:48] overnight wonder. One little pill.

[10:51] >> One little XLax pill.

[10:54] >> Arthritis pain suffers. Do you know

[10:57] millions of you can take aspirin even if

[10:59] your stomach is aspirin sensitive?

[11:02] Because there's Ecotrin. Look, Ecotrin

[11:05] is not the aspirin substitute. It's

[11:07] aspirin. But Ecotrin helps protect you

[11:09] from aspirin stomach upset with this

[11:12] orange safety coating. Now you can take

[11:14] what doctors recommend most from minor

[11:16] pain, aspirin. but without all aspirin.

[11:18] Stomach upset ecotrin. It's strong. It's

[11:22] orange.

[11:26] Get a feel for cotton in these specially

[11:28] blended sheets. The way it breathes to

[11:30] keep you cool. The way it practically

[11:33] takes care of itself.

[11:35] The way it touches your life.

[11:38] Nothing else feels like cotton. And

[11:40] nothing else makes you feel like this.

[11:43] Get a feel for these comfort kale

[11:45] natural blend sheets by Canon.

[11:49] Once you get a feel for cotton, you

[11:50] won't feel like anything else.

[11:55] President Reagan today signed a 25-year

[11:58] extension of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

[12:00] The president, who originally favored

[12:02] only a 10-year extension and came late

[12:04] to endorse this version, had nothing but

[12:06] praise for it today. The right to vote

[12:09] is the crown jewel of American

[12:11] liberties, and we will not see its

[12:13] luster diminished.

[12:15] >> The bill signing ceremony moved indoors

[12:18] because of the threat of rain was

[12:19] witnessed by some of the president's

[12:20] severest critics, black civil rights

[12:22] leaders and Democratic Senator Edward

[12:24] Kennedy.

[12:26] Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan may

[12:28] think the special prosecutor's report

[12:29] vindicates him, but as yet the president

[12:31] of the United States has not agreed.

[12:33] During one three-hour stretch today, the

[12:35] White House issued three different

[12:37] versions of where Donovan stood with the

[12:39] president. Tonight, he is still waiting.

[12:41] James Pope reports.

[12:43] Donovan toured the morning TV news shows

[12:45] trying to defend his reputation and his

[12:47] job.

[12:48] >> I have been damaged uh by these

[12:53] allegations through these months. Uh I

[12:56] like to put it this way. If they touched

[12:58] my reputation, they strengthened my my

[13:00] character. Uh, I think I have been and

[13:04] will continue to be a very effective

[13:05] labor secretary.

[13:06] >> But Donovan conceded he'll stay only as

[13:09] long as President Reagan wants him. Back

[13:11] at his job, a White House aid phoned

[13:13] with congratulations after the weeks of

[13:14] doubt.

[13:15] >> No, I I'dn't say it wasn't rough.

[13:19] >> There was still doubt whether Donovan

[13:21] could recover politically.

[13:22] >> Yeah, you're leaving again at um 10:45.

[13:26] >> President at 11:00. Donovan rode to the

[13:29] White House for a cabinet level national

[13:31] security meeting with President Reagan.

[13:33] When White House spokesman Larry Speaks

[13:35] was asked whether Donovan will stay on,

[13:37] Speaks would only say he's here today.

[13:40] Speaks said yes. President Reagan is

[13:42] withholding judgment, then tried to back

[13:44] away from that answer. At the end of the

[13:47] day, the White House had yet to issue a

[13:49] promised endorsement of Donovan. Aids

[13:51] now say President Reagan will make a

[13:53] strong statement of support sometime

[13:55] tomorrow.

[13:57] James Pulk, NBC News, Washington.

[14:00] >> Contrary to what we reported last night,

[14:02] the special prosecutor in the Donovan

[14:04] case, Leon Silverman, says his law firm

[14:06] is absorbing about $500,000 in legal

[14:09] costs figured at the firm's regular

[14:11] rates. Silverman himself is being paid

[14:14] at the rate set by the special

[14:15] prosecutor's law, $192 a day. Tom,

[14:20] >> the start talks started in Geneva today

[14:22] when American and Soviet negotiators met

[14:24] in a renewed effort to roll back the

[14:26] nuclear arms race. John Cochran is in

[14:28] Geneva.

[14:31] >> Two old adversaries, Edward Ry for the

[14:33] Americans, Victor Karpov for the

[14:35] Soviets. Both men veterans of the old

[14:38] salt talks. Ry and Karpov can speak to

[14:40] one another in either Russian or

[14:42] English.

[14:43] >> The sun's shining.

[14:46] Whether they will speak the same

[14:47] language on arms reductions is anybody's

[14:49] guess. They start far apart. Here is the

[14:52] Soviet proposal. Freeze all nuclear

[14:54] weapons. Now, President Reagan's

[14:56] response, no. That would just freeze the

[14:59] United States into what Reagan claims is

[15:01] a position of inferiority.

[15:03] Here is President Reagan's proposal.

[15:06] Reduce all nuclear warheads by 1/3.

[15:09] permit only half of the remaining

[15:10] warheads to be land-based, which are

[15:12] more accurate than those launched from

[15:14] submarines. The Soviet response, no,

[15:17] that's just a plot to eliminate Moscow's

[15:19] edge in landbased missiles. So, Edward

[15:22] Ry has a tough selling job, especially

[15:24] if the Soviets sense any confusion or

[15:27] weakness stemming from Secretary of

[15:28] State Heg's resignation. The Soviets

[15:31] also hope the American and West European

[15:33] peace movements will put pressure on the

[15:35] United States to make a deal. There's no

[15:38] doubt that the uh the Soviets uh look

[15:40] over my shoulder. Uh we have a

[15:43] constituency. Uh we're a democracy. They

[15:46] have an entirely different society. They

[15:48] don't quite understand why we have these

[15:51] peace movements or have to tolerate it.

[15:54] >> How long will the talks go on? Ry said

[15:56] the Soviets like to play chess to take

[15:58] their time. Americans, he said, like to

[16:01] play Pac-Man to put their quarters in

[16:02] the machine and get instant results. But

[16:05] said Ry, arms negotiations are not like

[16:07] that. John Cochran, NBC News, Geneva.

[16:11] >> In the coming days, we'll be hearing a

[16:13] lot more about General Ronnie, President

[16:15] Reagan's chief negotiator at these Star

[16:17] Talks. And as John Chancellor explains

[16:18] in his commentary tonight, General Rowy

[16:20] has some strong feelings on this issue.

[16:22] John,

[16:23] >> one of life's little ironies is that

[16:25] while the president is abiding by the

[16:27] terms of the never ratified Salt 2

[16:29] treaty with the Soviets, he has sent an

[16:31] outspoken opponent of the treaty to

[16:33] Geneva to head the American side in the

[16:35] arms talks. General Rowy, seen here at

[16:38] the White House last week, is a

[16:40] lieutenant general, US Army retired, a

[16:42] soldier, and a scholar, combat commands

[16:45] in World War II in Korea, two master's

[16:47] degrees from Yale, a PhD in

[16:49] international relations from American

[16:51] University in Washington. Ry came to the

[16:54] attention of Ronald Reagan's

[16:55] presidential campaign team in 1979

[16:58] because he did something which Reagan's

[17:00] people liked. When Reagan became

[17:02] president, he gave Rowley a job. Here's

[17:04] what did which pleased Mr. to Reagan.

[17:07] Rowdy had spent almost 7 years as the

[17:09] representative of the joint chiefs of

[17:11] staff at the salt talks. But less than

[17:13] one week before Jimmy Carter and Lean

[17:15] Brev were to sign the Salt 2 treaty, Ry

[17:18] quit, filed for retirement, saying Salt

[17:20] 2 was a faulty treaty. Ronald Reagan had

[17:22] been saying the same thing. Treaty

[17:24] supporters were furious, one of them

[17:26] being Edmund Musky, who berated Rowy.

[17:28] But Ry's insistence that the Salt 2

[17:30] treaty was not in the interest of the

[17:32] United States, was of great help to

[17:34] opponents of the treaty. Critics of the

[17:36] administration say the anti-uclear war

[17:38] movements here and in Western Europe

[17:40] forced Mr. Reagan into these arms talks.

[17:43] If that is true, the president has

[17:44] balanced that liberal move by naming one

[17:47] of the hardest of the hardliners to

[17:48] present his tough new proposals to the

[17:50] Soviets.

[17:56] >> General Bonapart, you say an army

[17:58] travels on its stomach

[17:59] >> and its wallet.

[18:00] >> Carry lots of cash, huh?

[18:02] >> Oh, madness. We carry Bank America

[18:04] travelers check. Bank America travelers

[18:06] checks.

[18:06] >> Bank America accepted in 160 countries.

[18:10] Sure beats charging all the time.

[18:12] >> And if you lose them,

[18:13] >> WE NEVER LOSE. BESIDES, they are

[18:16] refundable in 40,000 places worldwide.

[18:18] In case you get caught

[18:21] short

[18:24] America travelers checks.

[18:27] >> Darn, my sink trap's clogged.

[18:29] >> Do you know what's clogging it?

[18:31] >> Who knows what's down there? Grease,

[18:33] food, hair. Use Crystal Draano. The

[18:36] allpurpose drain opener.

[18:38] >> Isn't liquid plumber as allpurpose?

[18:40] >> No, it may not work on tough grease

[18:42] clogs.

[18:43] >> Well, Drano.

[18:44] >> Yes. Draano works on grease and food and

[18:48] hair.

[18:49] >> Wow. I never know what the clog is. So,

[18:51] I'll use allpurpose Drano.

[18:53] >> Drano. The allpurpose drain opener.

[18:57] >> Polaroid's new 600 speed color print

[18:59] film is much faster than anyone else's.

[19:01] And now we have four great cameras that

[19:03] use it. These and that.

[19:05] >> What are these?

[19:05] >> The sun cameras. Each has a piece of the

[19:07] sun and a light mixer so you can get 10

[19:09] great shots out of 10.

[19:10] >> And that

[19:11] >> the new Amigo, the lowest price way to

[19:13] take 600 speed pictures. And the new

[19:15] flatter flash to make you look good. Now

[19:17] what?

[19:18] >> Smile so they'll know you're through.

[19:20] >> Hi, Mom.

[19:27] >> For the past 2 years, the government has

[19:28] been faced with an influx of illegal

[19:30] aliens from Haiti. refugees seeking

[19:32] political and economic asylum. A year

[19:35] ago, the US adopted a policy that

[19:37] resulted in thousands being held in

[19:38] detention camps. Today, in Miami, a

[19:41] federal judge ordered a plan for their

[19:42] release. Shauna Singleary reports.

[19:46] >> There are almost 2,000 Haitians in five

[19:49] detention facilities around the country,

[19:51] including the Chrome Avenue Center in

[19:53] Miami. Some have been held here more

[19:55] than a year. In today's ruling, US

[19:57] District Judge Eugene Spelman outlined a

[19:59] detailed plan for the Haitians release.

[20:02] The plan requires that each Haitian have

[20:04] two government approved sponsors. The

[20:06] Haitians will report in weekly. The

[20:09] Immigration and Naturalization Service

[20:10] will get full identification of the

[20:12] Haitians and give them papers permitting

[20:14] them to work. Lawyers for the Haitians

[20:16] were pleased with today's ruling. These

[20:19] Haitians have suffered that illegal and

[20:21] discriminatory incarceration long

[20:23] enough, and we're thankful that the

[20:25] federal court has heard their plea.

[20:28] >> The government's lawyer maintained it

[20:29] had been correct in its policy of

[20:31] detaining the Haitians.

[20:33] >> The United States government will take

[20:35] whatever action it deems appropriate to

[20:37] enforce that policy. We will not

[20:40] retreat. We will control the borders.

[20:42] The government has indicated it will

[20:44] file an appeal in the next 10 days and

[20:46] it will be 10 days at the earliest

[20:48] before any Haitians are freed. Shauna

[20:51] Singleary, NBC News, Miami.

[20:54] >> The 1982 elections are still 5 months

[20:56] away, but political action committees

[20:58] set up by corporate, labor, and special

[21:00] interest groups have already contributed

[21:02] nearly $23 million to the candidates

[21:05] running for Congress. The biggest giver

[21:07] was the American Medical Association,

[21:09] followed by the Realtors, the

[21:11] machinists, and the bankers. Huh? The

[21:14] Georgia Supreme Court ruled today that a

[21:16] 22-year-old white woman is a fit mother

[21:18] for her three-year-old white son, as

[21:21] well as her racially mixed daughter. A

[21:23] lower court had transferred custody of

[21:25] the son to grandparents because his

[21:27] mother also had that daughter out of

[21:29] wedlock by a black man. A small town in

[21:32] east central Colorado is divided over

[21:34] the issue of sex education in public

[21:36] schools. An issue that has divided a

[21:38] good many American communities. But in

[21:40] Security Colorado, this controversy has

[21:42] taken a nasty turn. More from Norma

[21:45] Quarl.

[21:47] >> Security Colorado was once a peaceful

[21:49] community. But now the town is divided

[21:51] over what children should be taught

[21:52] about sex and which textbooks should be

[21:54] used in the schools. Gina Lee belongs to

[21:57] a newly formed parents organization.

[21:59] She's marking what she feels are

[22:01] objectionable passages in a textbook.

[22:04] She and other parents want the books

[22:05] removed.

[22:07] >> I believe that what is being taught is

[22:10] not to the family's best interest.

[22:12] >> Chris Shelton has been the target of

[22:14] violent attacks ever since she spoke out

[22:16] against censorship at a public meeting.

[22:18] Windows in her home have been broken and

[22:20] she's been hit with a brick. She

[22:22] believes one man is responsible.

[22:25] >> I can't take much more.

[22:28] We got to get something done.

[22:29] >> I'll search.

[22:31] >> Let's go there.

[22:31] >> I'm ready to kill him.

[22:33] >> The Shelton home is under 24-hour police

[22:35] protection. Her neighbors have even

[22:37] patrolled with sticks and baseball bats

[22:39] to find the attacker. But Chris Shelton

[22:41] says she will not waver in her stand

[22:43] against censorship.

[22:44] >> I've got kids in this district and I've

[22:46] got a stake in this district.

[22:48] >> John Bernett, a spokesman for the

[22:49] parents organization Mrs. Shelton

[22:51] opposes, says his group condemns the

[22:53] violence. We deplore it and we hope that

[22:56] it stops and hope that they catch and

[22:59] punish whoever is doing that.

[23:01] >> The dispute over what should be taught

[23:03] has broken up friendships among children

[23:05] and adults. This issue has showed me who

[23:08] my true friends are. Police expect to

[23:10] solve this case and arrest those

[23:12] responsible for the violence, but people

[23:14] in this community recognize that the

[23:16] censorship dispute will be harder to

[23:18] resolve. Normar, NBC News, Security

[23:21] Colorado.

[23:23] Crib death, when babies die suddenly and

[23:25] mysteriously, often in their cribs,

[23:28] kills more infants in the United States

[23:29] than any other disease. Now, scientists

[23:32] gathered in Baltimore to review the

[23:33] problem say mothers who smoke during

[23:36] pregnancy could make their babies more

[23:38] suscept susceptible to crib death. One

[23:40] doctor said that there are 4,000

[23:43] components in cigarette smoke that could

[23:45] damage the fetal brain.

[23:51] Why do you use Preparation H?

[23:53] >> Based on the way it treats me, I love

[23:55] it. It's uh it's a good friend.

[23:57] Preparation H relieves the swelling. It

[24:00] relieves the itching, relieves the pain.

[24:02] I can relate to my family. I can go to

[24:05] work and feel productive again.

[24:07] >> That's right. Preparation H often gives

[24:09] temporary relief from pain and itch

[24:11] flare-ups. Even helps shrink swelling of

[24:13] inflamed hemorrhoidal tissues.

[24:14] >> It's a good friend. Preparation H

[24:16] relieves pain and itch. even help shrink

[24:19] swelling.

[24:23] >> An Old Spice man always gets a warm

[24:26] welcome wherever he lands.

[24:33] Cuz Old Spice is the clean, fresh,

[24:36] masculine scent so many women love.

[24:42] So even if you love only one woman,

[24:45] you'll love Old Spice. The men scent so

[24:49] many women love.

[24:51] >> Open wide.

[24:53] >> Wait a minute, doctor.

[24:54] >> What's wrong, Joan?

[24:55] >> You need the breath deodorant.

[24:58] >> Sorry. Must have been the onion salad

[25:00] dressing.

[25:00] >> Chlorettes will take care of that.

[25:02] >> Chlorettes.

[25:02] >> Chlorettes is the breath deodorant.

[25:04] It'll freshen your breath fast. Only

[25:07] Chlores has act. And helps your mouth's

[25:09] own freshening power eliminate bad

[25:11] breath. The breath deodorant costs a

[25:14] little more, but it's worth it. Ready

[25:16] doctor

[25:17] >> for fresh breath fast chloretses the

[25:19] breath deodorant

[25:21] >> in Dayton Ohio home of the Wright

[25:23] brothers another inventor is giving new

[25:25] hope to people who don't necessarily

[25:27] care whether they fly they just like to

[25:29] walk again and they may thanks to a

[25:32] computer which does what the spinal cord

[25:34] cannot here's Jim Cumins Wright State

[25:37] University in Dayton Ohio has made it

[25:39] easy for handicapped students like Jeff

[25:41] Hos to get around hos was paralyzed from

[25:44] the neck down in an accident six years

[25:46] ago. The doctors told him he'd never be

[25:48] able to use his legs again.

[25:50] >> Suicide was on my mind. That's all I

[25:52] didn't want. I didn't want to live

[25:54] >> in a chair.

[25:56] >> These days, Jeff H doesn't have time to

[25:58] contemplate suicide. He's too busy

[26:00] pedaling a bicycle.

[26:02] >> The spinal injury that cut off

[26:03] electrical impulses from the brain has

[26:05] not healed. But computer equipment

[26:07] bought at a neighborhood stereo shop by

[26:09] Dr. Gerald Petroski has restored some

[26:11] semblance of life to these legs. The

[26:14] computer relays instructions from the

[26:15] brain through electrodes attached to

[26:17] house.

[26:18] >> What we're developing is really kind of

[26:20] an electronic bandage. It's something

[26:21] that bypasses the broken damage in the

[26:23] spinal cord. And uh what it'll mean is

[26:26] not a cure for spinal injury, but for

[26:28] many people who are paralyzed

[26:29] eventually. Uh it'll give them the a

[26:32] means of being able to move their arms

[26:33] and legs and walk again.

[26:35] >> Posh was the first to ride Petroski's

[26:37] special bicycle. I was really excited

[26:40] and then for a whole week I was just

[26:42] grinning ear to ear and just shaking my

[26:43] head. I couldn't believe it. I don't

[26:46] know how he's doing it but I expect to

[26:49] >> the way it's going now I think it will

[26:51] be walking again.

[26:53] >> That's why other handicapped students

[26:54] like Nanette Davis volunteered to be

[26:56] part of this experiment.

[26:58] >> I haven't rode a bicycle for 4 years. It

[27:00] was

[27:01] >> it was fun. I wanted to do it longer

[27:03] than than I was on there. It gave me new

[27:06] hope, but it's kind of a cautious hope.

[27:08] >> Dr. Petroski and his associates need

[27:10] about $100,000 a year to keep their

[27:12] project going, but they say their

[27:14] research has been slowed down by

[27:16] cutbacks in federal funding and

[27:18] bureaucratic red tape. So much of the

[27:21] research money has been raised by the

[27:22] Spinal Cord Society and its president,

[27:25] Charles Carson. If you can get these

[27:27] people to to move around and you can

[27:29] reverse atrophy with this material and

[27:31] the hardware he's got already, that's a

[27:34] fabulous piece of progress alone. Dr.

[27:36] Petrosky says the computers can be

[27:38] reduced to the size of pocket

[27:40] calculators. He hopes that will enable

[27:42] Jeff Hos and the other handicapped

[27:44] students here to walk to their classes

[27:46] soon. Jim Cumins, NBC News, Dayton,

[27:49] Ohio.

[27:51] >> That's nightly news for this Tuesday

[27:52] night. I'm Tom Bro in New York. and I'm

[27:55] Roger Mud in Washington. Good night from

[27:57] all of us at NBC News.

[28:01] >> Tomorrow morning on Today, Phyis

[28:02] Shaffley is interviewed about the defeat

[28:04] of the Equal Rights Amendment and a look

[28:06] at the American coverage of the war in

[28:08] Lebanon.