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2A
Ang‘ust 19) 2004
\ational World
US., soldier sues over extended semvice
By DAVID KRAVETS
Associated Press Writer
A California Army
National Guard soldier
sued the military in federal
court Tuesday, August 17,
over a program that could
keep up to 20,000 Army
personnel beyond their
time of service.
It was the first lawsuit
challenging extended mili
tary service following the
Sept. 11, 2001, actacks.
The program, known as
“stop-loss,” also was enact
ed during the buildup to
Controversial ads aimed
at blacks denouncing Ker
as ‘white and wishy wash)?’
By LAURA MECKLER
Associated Press Writer
A Republican-funded
group is running ads on
black radio stations in
Ohio and four other
competitive states calling
Democrat John Kerry
“rich, white and wishy
washy” and criticizing
Teresa Heinz Kerry for
highlighting her South
Af%ican background.
People of Color United,
an arm of a Washington
based group called DC
Patents for Schoeol
Choice, is spendine
$70,000 over three weeks
to run the ads in inner
cities in Ohio, Wiscon
sin, Michigan, Missouri
and Pennsy%vania.
The group’s president,
Virginia Walden Ford, a
Republican, said most of
the money came from fel
low Republicans with the
largest contributor being
J. Patrick Rooney, an
insurance executive.
“I'm really, really tired
of the assumption that
black people are going to
vote for Democrats
because that’s what we've
Powell to skip Republican convention
%BARRY SCHWEID
Diplomatic Writer
WASHINGTON (AP)
—Secretary of State Colin
Powell, a Republican cen
trist who is popular with
moderate voters, will not
attend the GOP conven
tion in New York that
will nominate President
Bush for a second term.
“On White House
instruction, Secretary
Powell as well as others
among the Cabinet, will
not = attend,”’ State
Department deputy
spokesman Adam Ereli
said Tuesday. “This is in
keeping with past prac
tice.
Ereli also drew atten
tion to Powell’s remarks
last week at a convention
of minority journalists
that he was obliged as
secretary not to taEe part
in “parochial debate.”
TEC Republicans gather
for the four-day conven
tion beginning Aug. 30.
With Bush in a close
race against Democratic
the 1991 Gulf War.
The soldier’s complaint
comes as the Army strug
gles to find fresh units to
serve in Iraq. Almost every
combat unit has faced or
will face duty there or in
Afghanistan, and increased
violence has forced the
deployment of an addition
al 20,000 troops to the Iraq
region.
The Army says its stop
loss program is necessary
for a cohesive military with
seasoned personnel,
although it has been criti
cized as contrary to the
j& : T 4
\ ‘
: b
R
Teresa Heinz Kerry
always done,” she said.
The Kerry campaign
denounced the ads.
One commercial says:
“Our community doesn't
need another wishy
washy, rich, white politi
cian. And boy, does Kerry
come across as rich, white
and wishy-washy.”
Another says: “His wife
says she’s an African
American. While techni
cally true, I don’t believe
a white woman, raised in
Africa, surrounded by
servants qualifies.”
nominee John Kerry,
Powell’s stature with both
Republicans and Democ
rats who favor a cautious
approach to world prob
lems could be an asset to
the president.
In fact, Powell has
defended Bush’s foreign
policy in interviews and
speeches, dismissing
Kerry’s assertions that the
president is inclined to
go it alone in dangerous
overseas ventures and
favors pre-emptive
action.
Kerry has placed special
emphasis on consulting
with allies and other for
eign governments. He
has faulted Bush on the
war with Iraq, saying the
president’s approach
alienated Arab and Euro
pean governments.
In response, Powell told
Unity: Journalists of
Color Convention last
Thursday that Bush took
his advice to “not act uni
laterally” and made the
case against Iraqi Presi
AUGUSTA FOCUS
concept of an all-volunteer
military force.
The soldier’s attorneys did
not release his name, age or
hometown to protect his
family’s privacy.
“It’s not that John Doe is
a coward by any means,”
said the sergeant’s San
Francisco attorney,
Michael Sorgen. He said
his client, who was also
ordered to stay in Iraq last
year beyond his enlisted
commitment, suffers from
post traumatic stress disor
der, and his deployment
has been put on hold.
Danny Glover pulls support
from Haitian bicentennial cruise
MIAMI (AP) -A cruise
commemorating the
Haitian bicentennial left
Miami without Danny
Glover, an instrumental
supporter of the trip who
pulled his support as a
political protest.
Glover said he did not
want to appear to support
the new government
installed after the ouster
of President Jean-
Bertrand Aristide.
“Due to the increasing
ly critical political situa
tion in Haiti, which
resulted in a loss of life,
Michael Jackson, family attend hearing
in singer’s child molestation case
% LINDA DEUTSCH
Special Correspondent
SANTA MARIA, CA. (AP)
— Michael Jackson — dressed in
white and accompanied by
members of his family -
returned to court to watch a
showdown over key evidence
with the prosecutor who has
pursued Lfi)e singer for years on
dent Saddam Hussein at
the United Nations in
September 2002.
Yet Powell also
acknowledged, “The
intelligence community
apparently got it wrong
on stockpiles of weapons
of mass destruction. I do
not expect huge stock
piles to be found.”
He said Bush officials
knew that if “the United
Nations ultimately did
not act, and we didn’t
solve it diplomatically,
we knew then that it
might be necessary for us
to solve it through the
use of military force.”
Powell’s differences
with Bush and his senior
advisers who are more
conservative occasionally
is an issue. He favors
abortion rights and affir
mative action.
According to the lawsuit,
the soldier has more than a
decade of service with the
Marines, including com
bat in Iraq and Somalia.
Last year, after returning
from Iraq, he agreed to
resign with a one-year
commitment to the
National Guard.
But he recently was
notified that his service
had been extended by as
much as two years, and
that he could soon be
heading to Iraq for
another combat tour,
oppression and incarcera
tion of thousands of
Haitians, I have canceled
my participation in
‘Cruising into History,”
Glover said Saturday,
August 14, before the
seven-day Caribbean
cruise set sail.
About 500 people paid
$1,500 to $2,500 to take
the cruise, which was
billed a historical, non
political opportunity to
celebrate Haiti’s bicen
tennial with black
celebrities including
dancer Katherine Dun
child molestation es.
In a tense, packCh:gg court
room, Jackson defense attor
ney Thomas Mesereau Jr. took
the offensive, questioning
Santa Barbara County District
Attorney Tom Sneddon for
two hours Monday, August
16, over a November 2003
search of the office of a private
investigator hired by Jackson's
former attorney.
The exchanges were testy at
times. At one point, Sneddon
said he didnt know how the
defense wanted h[ilrlnfilhc;ar}:mer
a question. “Tru , hope
fufly,” Mesereau replied.
‘When Sneddon said he
could not give a yes or no
answer, %dgc Rodney
Melville prompty warned
him: “Mr. fS)nedcfi)n, I'm going
to ask you not to spar wl§l the
attorney.”
Mesereau, arguing Sneddon
violated Jackson’s attorney
client privilege by searching
the investigator’s ofi"loe, is seck
ing to have evidence gathered
during that search excluded
fr:)l:unfijs trial on child molesta
tion charges.
If successful, the move could
undermine the prosecution
case. It is one of the issues that
must be settled before Jack
son's scheduled Jan. 31 trial.
The hearing is scheduled to
last several more days. The
judge is not expected to issue
an immediate ruling,
Jackson, 45, is charged with
committing a lewd act upon a
child, admmist«:iring an intoxi
c ent and conspiring to
cotr:mngxiu?tgchild abducu}:)n, é]se
imprisonment and extortion.
He has pleaded not %ildty and
is free on $3 million bail.
Sneddon refused to
according to court docu
ments.
Sorgen said the soldier
could be involuntarily
retained in the military
during a time of war or
national emergency, but
‘Cofigress has not
declared war or a national
emergency.”
The lawsuit notes the
Sept. 11 commission’s
report said there was no
“collaborative operational
relationship” between ter
rorists and Iraq plotting
attacks against the United
ham, National Urban
League President Marc
Morial and Essence mag
azine Editorial Director
Susan Taylor.
Poet Sonia Sanchez also
canceled her appearance.
Glover said it was
“impossible for us to be
neutral” in view of what
he called a coup that sent
Aristide out of the coun
tiy Feb, 29,
A U.S.-led multination
al force of 3,600 troops
arrived in Haiti after a
three-week rebellion.
From exile in South
S 25
3 “f i’i i - ’ i
Michael Jackson
acknowledge he even suspect
ed a prggcgsional relatior?sehcitp
between former Jackson attor
ney Mark Geragos and the
investigator, Br,::fiey Miller —
even 'S;iough the prosecutor
acknowledged seeing a large
file of letters that carrieda:Ee
names of both men.
“Are you saying you didn'
know thfgt Mr. kMillcr was
working for Mark Geragos at
the lt(ilrlrllg?” asked Meserr;gu.
“I'am 100 percent certain of
that,” Sneddon said.
The prosecutor admitted
telling defense attorneys in
July Ee knew Miller worked
for Geragos but testified he
retracted the statement the
next day. “It was a mistake,”
he said.
: Snec(i:gon, who tried ks;o
rin es against Jackson
in Ig993?rgsaida§: personally
took part in surveillance of
Millers office and the search
because he happened to be in
Los Angeles and wanted to
avoid using additional county
personnel.
The singer, who wore a %?ld
brocade armband over a white
suit, sat perfectly still and
States.
Lt. Pamela Hart, an
Army spokeswoman, said
stop-loss is vital for a
strong military.
“When soldiers consid
er serving next to one
that they've known, they
know the person’s
strengths,” she said. “It’s
much safer and comfort
ing to know you are serv
ing a war with someone
you can count on.”
No court date has been
set.
Danny Glover
Aftica,” * Aristide has
accused the United States
of being behind his over
throw, a claim Washing
ton has denied.
stared at the prosecutor. The
rest of the fiackson family,
including five siblings dressed
in white, also sat impassively.
They left the courthouse, with
a poc{ice escort, after Sneddon’s
testimony.
Jackson's fans erupted in
cheers as the singer and his
entourage arrived at court in a
tan, double-decker bus with
tinted windows, and again
when they emerged for lunch.
About 100 mostly young
fans pressed against a chain
link Fence anagailoistcd signs
saying “Our Love is \X%th
You” and “Michael Jackson is
Innocent” outside the court
house. Dozens of police and a
small group of people demon
strating in support of sexual
abuse victims were also at the
court.
Like other Jackson sup
porters, Olivia Baker, 20, said
the singer had been unfairly
targcte§ by Sneddon.
“No human being deserves
that, especially since he's
given his whole heart to the
world,” Baker said. “His
heart is honest. I don't believe
he would ever hurt a child.”
The hearing came a day
after Jackson made a surprise
visit to Los Angeles’ pre-emi
nent black church Sunday,
which legal experts said was
an effort to boost his reputa
tion ahead of the showgown
with Sneddon.
“Jackson has never been
involved with the African-
American community in the
past,” said Steve Cron, a
defense attorney who has
been following the case. “I
cant imagine why else he
would suddenly get religion.”