xt769p2w6n9k https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt769p2w6n9k/data/mets.xml The Kentucky Kernel Kentucky -- Lexington The Kentucky Kernel 2006-07-27 Earlier Titles: Idea of University of Kentucky, The State College Cadet newspapers  English   Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. The Kentucky Kernel  The Kentucky Kernel, July 27, 2006 text The Kentucky Kernel, July 27, 2006 2006 2006-07-27 2020 true xt769p2w6n9k section xt769p2w6n9k GETTING DRAFT ED: Advice from senior fantasy football ‘expert' Tim
Wiseman. Because it's never too early to get your draft on. PAGE 5

THE

Kentucky Kernel

 

Thursday, July 27, 2006 Celebrating 35 years of independence www.kykernel.com

UK garners
$290.4 million
in research funds

By Crystal Little
m: xrnrum mm

UK student returns from Beirut

Political science
senior Sarah
Weatherbee
returned to Lex—
ington from
Beirut, Lebanon,
on July 23 after
the conflict
between the
Lebanese and the
Israeli group
Hezbollah broke
out.

Weatherbee, who
is half-Lebanese,
was taking an Ara-
bic class as part
of a study abroad
program when
Hezbollah bombed
the Beirut airport
after two of their
soldiers were cap-
tured by Lebanon.

UK President Lee Todd announced yesterday
that the university has brought in a record-break-
ing $290,365,000 in grants and contracts for the
2006 fiscal year.

This is a 6 percent increase from last year’s to-
tal, which was $274 million.

“This year’s record figure of $290.4 million re-
flects the talent and skill 0 four outstanding facul-
ty members who compete nationally for research
dollars." Todd said in a news release. “It also re-
flects our growth as a research institution as UK
stacks up increasingly well against other univer-
sities competing for the same funds.

“Even with federal research budgets remain—
ing flat this year, our research faculty and staff
showed their talent, successfully competing for
more research dollars than ever before."

UK's federal awards from agencies such as the
National Institutes of Heath. the National Science
Foundation and the departments of defense, edu-
cation and agriculture went up 2.2 percent from
last year. with a total of $155.5 million. Awards
from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. research
contracts from business and industry and non-
profit funding also rose for 2006.

“The competition for grants and contracts is
exceedingly stiff, especially as government re-
search budgets are tight." said Wendy Baldwin.
UK‘s executive vice president for research. in a
statement yesterday: “The limited pool of re-
search funding available makes this record—break-
ing achievement by UK faculty and staff even
more impressive."

 

 

the city.

“At that point the mood became more
fearful, everyone asking. ‘Where do we go
now? Is it safe to stay in Beirut?’ " she said.

To keep the program going. its directors
moved classes to Byblos. a coastal town north
of Beirut.

There. Weatherbee and her group were
farther from the conflict. but they still felt it.
as their instructors continued to commute
back and forth from Beirut to teach.

“They were risking their
lives to even be there." she said.
“It was hard to concentrate.
Even though you were away
from it. it still surrounds you
because the people near you are _
affected by it." .' 3

From instructors and other ' ’3
locals. Weatherbee heard sto-
ries of what was going on back
in Beirut.

A maid in the dorm lived in
south Beirut. and her house
was bombed in one of the Is—
raeli air raids.

“She was very quiet."
Weatherbee said. “I was very
angry hurt and upset. What an-
gered me the most was that the
Lebanese were caught in the
middle of this conflict.

“These people tried so hard
to progress and rebuild after
their civil war, and now they
are back where they started."

Student weathered bomb threats,
hopes to return, aid in rebuilding

By Tim Wiseman
THE KENTUCKY KERNEL

Email Clittleta kykernelcom

UK's awards, in millions,
for the 2006 fiscal year

$155.5

Federal awards

As bombs fell in Beirut. Lebanon, Sarah
Weatherbee watched on television as the war-
fare unfolded. When she and her classmates
stepped outside. they could hear the planes

that carried those bombs flying .
“I didn't expect

overhead.
Weatherbee. a UK political sci- ,
something of
this magnitude

ence senior. had been in Lebanon

since June 24 as part of a study
to happen. Still,
there is always

abroad program that focused on the
thatfeefingin

Arabic language.
the back of your

Before leaving for the trip.
Weatherbee had to sign a release
mind that, this
is Lebanon, not

from the US. State Department as
she was going to a potentially hos»
tile place. But thoughts of any trou-
France."
Sarah Weatherbee
political scrence senior

Beirut j:
0 _ ‘ l ‘-~~>

, $75.7

Commonwealth of
, >Kentucky awards

$19.5

> ‘ Research contracts
. ,‘= ‘ , 7 >from business and
' ' ‘ industry

$38.7

Funding from
non-profits,

Lebanon."-

. '
Demasws

Syria

ble were hardly more than an after»
thought once she arrived.

“I wasn't expecting any of the
conflict." said Weatherbee. who is
half‘Lebanese. “I knew there was
the latent conflict there brewing be—
tween Israel and Hezbollah. I didn't
really expect something of this
magnitude to happen.

“Still. there is always that feel-
ing in the back of your mind. that
this is Lebanon. not France.“

For the first three weeks of the

Jerusaluril j.

Gaza

p

Israel

program. she and her classmates

enjoyed all that Beirut had to offer. After
three hours of classes during the day. the
group traveled around the area. including a
visit to neighboring Syria.

“There is so much stuff to do." said
Weatherbee. “The people are so friendly 4,
it's really easy to fall in love with."

But then two Israeli soldiers were cap—
tured by Hezbollah. and Israel responded by
bombing Beirut's airport and other areas of

And whenever she went out-
side in Byblos. she was reminded of the con
flict.

“In Byblos. we could hear the planes fly-
ing over but not the bombing." she said. “We
were afraid.“

One day. she and a few others went back
into Beirut to get some of the souvenirs they
had left behind at their dorms.

"It was so quiet.” she said of the city's

See Beirut on page 2

 

Office relocates to

 

 

 

mane coumsv or m "summit POST
Beirut has been the target of many
Hezbollah bombs, including the first
attack on the airport. It is also where
UK student Sarah Weatherbee was
studying Arabic.

new parking garage

STAFF REPORT

On Monday. UK’s Park-
ing Structure No. 6 will
open at the corner of Vir-
ginia and Press avenues.
UK officials announced
yesterday.

The 700-space structure
will also accommodate the
main offices of UK's Park-
ing and Transportation
Services. which formerly
shared space with the UK
Police Department on the
corner of Rose Street and
Euclid Avenue.

“We are eager to open
our new office.“ said Don
Thornton. director of
Parking and Transporta-
tion Services. in a news re-
lease. “and hope that the
new location will help re-
solve office space and dis-
ability access issues faced
at the office‘s current loca-
tion (at the corner of Rose
and Euclid)."

 

In addition to the im-
proved accessibility. the
new office will feature a
gate-controlled entrance
for employees with E per-
mits and a bus stop inside
the structure.

Presently. the structure
will be limited to employee
parking. The structure will
also be open to any user
with a valid UK permit af-
ter 3:30 pm. Visitor park-
ing inside the structure
will be unavailable until
next year. but limited me-
tered parking is available
in the area.

“Parking and Trans-
portation Services is excit-
ed about the opening of
Parking Structure No. 6,"
Thornton said. “(It) will
benefit those parking in a
growing section of cam-
pus."

E-mail
newstwkykernelrom

 

Parking Structure
No. 6

Until Aug. Zl, Parking Struc-
ture No. 6 at the corner of Virginia
and Press avenues will have short-
ened summer hours: 6 am. to 7
pm. Monday through Thursday, and
6 am. to 6 am. Friday.

Regular hours of operation for
the structure will be 6 am to 10
pm. Monday through Thursday, and
6 am. to 6 pm Friday.

All vehicles must be removed
from the structure prior to closing.
Overnight parking without prior ap‘
proval from UK Parking and Trans-
portation Services is prohibited,
and any vehicle disregarding this
policy may be subject to a citation
and/or impoundment at the own-
er's expense.

SOURCE: WMUKYIDU

 

 

 

First Issue free. Subsequent Issues 25 cents.

By Megan K. Stack
"RWGKEEWE?

TIBNIN. Lebanon ~ Families hand down
tales of mayhem like heirlooms and mark
their personal milestones against the dates of
wars. Their landscape is layered with re-
minders of bygone battles: captured Israeli
artillery; bombed-out buildings left to crum»
ble slowly into the dirt; posters. everywhere.
that bear the faces of the fallen “martyrs."

The years of war have left their shadow
on southern Lebanon. For years. Arab guer-
rillas have used these hills as a base for at-
tacks against Israel. And for years. Israel has
invaded and occupied. launched shells and
missiles.

Now, fighting once again covers the
rolling landscape. and another generation is
hardening against the Jewish state. The fer-
vor to fight Israel finds fresh fuel as civilians
die. food runs out and villages drain of peo-
ple.

“In every invasion. there‘s a massacre in
my family“ said Soubiha Abdellah. She lost
24 family members. most of them children.
when the flatbed truck in which they were
riding was bombed by Israeli warplanes. Her
relatives died trying to flee the village of
Marwaheen. where they had eked out a living
growing tobacco and wheat.

“We've tasted it all." Abdellah said.

Abdellah is a Sunni Muslim. And yet; on

' ’ including other
universities

$290.4

Total grants and
, contracts

Lebanese: Conflict is a way of life

Friday. when she stood in a sun-scorched va-
cant lot to see her loved ones buried in a mass
grave. she spoke glowingly of Hezbollah. a
Shiite Muslim organization

“Hezbollah." she said. “will be victorious.
with God‘s help.“

This is the heartland of Hezbollah. the
group founded as a band of Shiite Muslim
guerrillas after Israel imaded Lebanon in
1982. From these valleys and olive groves.
Hezbollah fighters harassed and killed Israeli
soldiers until the army withdrew in 2000.
Since then. rockets launched from these vil-
lages have struck Israeli towns across the
border. about 10 miles from here.

Israeli officials accuse those who live here
of supporting Hezbollah. and count them as
among their most implacable foes.

Few here would deny it. In an impovers
ished region that has long languished as a
backwater. the power of Hezbollah short-
handed here as “the resistance" is the
main point of pride. Many southerners think
of themselves as the only Arabs outside the
Palestinian territories who have stood up to
Israel. over and over again.

Residents of southern Lebanon harbor a
profound gratitude to Hezbollah's political
party and welfare programs for giving them a
political identity and a voice. for turning the
populous. predominantly Shiite borderlands

See Conflict on page 2

: Newsroom: 25M“!

4

 

   

PAGE 2 I Thursday, July 27, 2006

 

 

  

NEWS BRIEFS

 

Beirut

 

Interim executive vice president ior
research named

UK President Lee Todd announced
last week that Wendy Baldwin. the
university's executive vice president
for research. is leaving the campus for
a position at The Population Council.
Baldwin. whose title at The Popula-
tion Council is program director of
poverty. gender and youth, will begin
her work there Oct. 1.

“I have spent much of my career
working on the challenges of adoles-
cents and the council’s work is where
my heart is." Baldwin said.

The Population Council is an inter-
national, nonprofit. nongovernmental
organization that conducts biomed-
ical. social science. and public health
research. It has 17 offices in Africa.
Asia and the Americas. It operates in
more than 70 countries.

Associate Vice President for Re-
search Chuck Stabn has been named
interim head of the Office of the Exec-
utive Vice President for Research
starting Oct. 1.

UK to potentially receive $2.5 mil-'
lion, Uoil. to get $19.25 million

The U. S. Senate Appropriations
Committee approved the Fiscal Year
2007 Labor. Health and Human Ser-
vices. Education and Related Agencies
Appropriations bill on July 20. which
included $25 million in funding for

. By Andy Mosher

several Kentucky universities. The
bill now must be approved by the full
Senate.

Louisville received the lion’s share
of the funding. at $19.25 million.
which includes $15.7 million for the
construction of a new biomedical re
search building. The new building will
provide lab space and a full-service
animal facility in support of cancer
research.

If the bill is approved by the full
Senate. UK will receive $2.5 million; of
that. $1.5 million will go to the High
Bandwidth Network Connection pro-
ject. allowing UK to upgrade its con-
nection to the National High Speed
Grid and maintain full membership to
the grid. aiding in Internet access for
the entire campus. The other million
will go to the Kentucky Oral Health
Initiative. which was created to im-
prove oral health for disadvantaged
Kentuckians.

The Senate Appropriations Com-
mittee also approved $9 million for
Kentucky in the Fiscal Year 2007
Transportation, Treasury. Judiciary,
Housing and Urban Development Ap-
propriations bill. which also must be
approved by the full Senate. All of the
money will go to projects in the west-
ern part of the state. including 84.6
million to improving the Paducah
riverfront; local officials are envision-
ing a marina. a public docking area.
and green space.

COMPILED FROM STAFF, WIRE REPORTS

 

Continued from page I

streets. “80 quiet."

There as they heard some distant
bomb blasts. she spoke with a restau-
rant owner who said he had to stay
in Beirut despite his family‘s pleas
to get away.

“These people are survivors."
Weatherbee said. “They take it in
stride.“

Some in her group wanted to stay
and get out through Syria. but when
the evacuation started. Weatherbee
knew she had to go.

The evacuation was hectic. as
Weatherbee said she was given just a
few minutes to pack before heading
to Beirut‘s port. There they waited to
board a Norwegian freighter with
more than 1.000 others. “An uncom-
fortable ride for sure." it took about
seven hours for the freighter to
reach Cyprus where Weatherbee
went to the American Embassy.

From there. she made her way to
London. England, to spend a few
days while finding a flight back to
the United States.

She arrived back in Lexington
earlier this week, but she still thinks
about what‘s going on in Lebanon.

“I feel very much attached to it.“
she said. “A lot of us feel in love with
that place. It‘s so sad.

“I hope there's an end."

E—muil twisemanm kykernelt'om :

 

Conflict

Continued from page i

 

into region that couldn’t be shunted aside. For that. they
have paid a price.

In the two weeks since Hezbollah fighters slipped into ls-
rael. captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others.
southern Lebanon has paid a high price.

Israel has bombed homes and cars; accused residents of
harboring terrorists; and ordered them to leave their villages
and move north of the Litani River. 20 miles from the Israeli
border. Hundreds of civilians have been killed by Israeli
bombs.

All the tactics have been tried before.

“The whole thing is a lost cause for Israeli aims." said
Timur Goksel. a longtime United Nations spokesman who
spent more than 25 years in southern Lebanon. “They can’t
close down an ideology. They are trying to intimidate the
whole public to achieve goals that you can’t achieve by mili-
tary means."

For the people of southern Lebanon. there is almost noth-
ing new about the fighting that has engulfed their villages
these past weeks.

“We have seen it before." they say. and rattle off the years
of the Israeli attacks.

They mention 1978. when Palestinian fighters based here
attacked a bus north of Tel Aviv, Israel. and killed 35 Israelis.
provoking an Israeli invasion. They speak of 1982, when Is-
rael invaded again, seeking to drive out the Palestine Libera-
tion Organization. And they invoke 1993 bombing assault and
the “Grapes of Wrath” campaign of 1996, when Israel tried to
purge the south of Hezbollah.

Many southerners regard the current fighting as another
scene in a continuing tragedy What’s more. they believe it’s
their lot.

“Israel has shown us southerners no mercy. and this pre-
dates Hezbollah and the Palestinians. We have always been in
this situation." said Nabil Maleh, a 65-year-old maker of can-
dy and cakes from the coastal city of Tyre. “This is what we
have. This is what we are."

 

“I would like to remove myself from this courtroom,"

  
   
    
  
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
 
  
  
   
  
   
  

THE WASHINGTON POST

BAGHDAD. Iraq 7 Saddam Hussein returned to court
yesterday for the first time in more than a month. not
looking appreciably thinner or sounding any less combat-
ive after going nearly three weeks without solid food.

The former Iraqi president strode into the courtroom
shortly after 11 a.m. for what would be a 4 1/2-hour ses—
sion devoted to the closing argument in his defense
against charges that he ordered the killings of more than
140 Iraqis from the town of Dujail after an attempt on his
life there in 1982.

With his legal team boycotting the proceedings. Sad‘
dam mostly sat and listened as court-appointed lawyers
read a lengthy statement his own attorneys had prepared.
As he has throughout the trial. which opened in October
but was extended by numerous recesses and postpone-
ments. Saddam verbally sparred with the judge over ques-
tions of law. politics and conduct.

At the outset of yesterday's session. Saddam protested
that he. too. had intended to boycott but had been forcibly
brought to court from a hospital where he had been fed

barked Saddam. who maintained that the court was not
legitimate and that he did not have proper legal represen-
tation. “I wrote you a petition clarifying that I don't want
to come to court. but they broug t me against my will.
I have been on a hunger strike since July 8."

Several times. he threatened the substitute attorneys.
whose names were not released and whose voices were
electronically altered on the courtroom sound system and
television broadcast feed. “You are my enemy." he told
one of them. He pointed to another and exclaimed.
“Damn you!"

At one point. Saddam informed Judge Raouf Abdel-
Rahman that when he decides on a method of execution.
“remember that Saddam Hussein is a military comman-
der and should be shot by bullets. not hanged like a regu~
lar criminal." Though Saddam made himself head of the
Iraqi military after becoming president in 1979. he never
served in the armed forces and in fact failed the Baghdad
Military Academy‘s entrance exam in the 1950s.

Saddam could be sentenced to death if found guilty of
the Dujail killings. but Abdel-Rahman protested that it
was too early in the proceedings to discuss possible pun-

 
   

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Combative Hussein returns to court after three-Week hunger strike

When Saddam pressed the point. Abdel-Rahman said:
“I consider this an insult. From now on. if anyone.
whoever it is. wants to impose their opinion on me. I will
not stay in this position.”

For the bulk of the session. however. Saddam sat and
listened as his appointed lawyers read a lengthy final are
gument essentially maintaining that none of the evidence
presented at trial directly tied him to the killings of Du-
jail residents.

In an apparent bid to shift blame to any of his seven
co-defendants. the argument also asserted that Saddam‘s
presidential powers were far from absolute and that his
knowledge of the day-to-day workings of other branches
of government was limited.

Michael Newton. a Vanderbilt University law profes-
sor who was observing the trial and had participated in
framing laws that created the special tribunal holding it.
called the defense argument “very substantive."

“They are well-prepared." Newton said of Saddam‘s
attorneys. “It’s a solid defense argument."

After Saddam declined to make a closing statement of
his own. Abdel-Rahman adjourned the session and Sad»
dam had his first solid meal in weeks: beef. rice. bread.
some fruit and a Coke. Newton said.

 

 
   
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
   
  
 
 
  
 
 
   
 
  
  
 
  
  
   
  
 
 
   
   
 
 
  
  
 
  
 
  
   
 
 
  
    
  
 
  
  
 
 
  

 Rome conference failed to attain
cease-fire between Israel, Hezbollah

By Robin Wright
THE msumctou P051

ROME ~ International talks
on Lebanon here failed yesterday
to agree on an immediate cease-
fire in the conflict between Israel
and Hezbollah but called for a new
multinational force in south
Lebanon and opened the way for
Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice to return to the Middle East
soon for further discussions. US.
and UN. officials said.

The Rome conference did not
bridge the gap between a tough
U.S. position. opposing a cease-fire
except as part of a broader
arrangement that can endure for
years. and European and Arab
calls for an immediate halt to the
fighting. The meeting went 90
minutes longer than expected.
largely because of stiff debate
over the cease-fire issue. U.S.
diplomats said.

“We are all agreed that we
want most urgently to end the vio-
lence on a basis that this time will
be sustainable. because unfortu-
nately. this is a region that has
had too many broken cease-fires.
too many spasms of violence. fol-
lowed then by other spasms of vio-
lence." Rice said at a joint press
conference with UN. Secretary
General Kofi Annan. Lebanese
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and
the conference host. Italian For-
eign Minister Massimo D‘Alema.

Despite an impassioned appeal
for an immediate end to hostilities
by Siniora. who said Israeli
airstrikes had brought his coun-
try “to its knees." the United

A winning strategy
if only they’d

By Steven Pearlstein

IHE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON 7w To under-
stand why Democrats can’t win
elections. all you had to do was at-
tend this week's symposium at the
Brookings Institution put on by
the Hamilton Project. an effort by
the (Bill) Clinton economic brain-
trust to generate new ideas and a
Democratic election agenda.

The main topic was globaliza-
tion. which had a certain urgency
about it the day after the latest
round of global trade talks col-
lapsed.

Because this was the free-trade
wing of the Democratic Party. the
event featured all the usual argu-
ments about how globalization has
helped the US. economy. boosting
growth and productivity through
scale economies. specialization
and increased innovation.

And because these were De-
mocrats. there were the requisite
acknowledgements that. while
trade is an overall plus for the
economy. it has had some unpleas—
ant side effects: insecurity about
job losses, downward pressure on
wages. widening inequality. and
an unsustainable trade deficit.

There was even a general con-
sensus on what needs to be done to
ameliorate those effects. The pre-
scriptions included some old ideas
about balancing the federal bud-
get. investing more in education
and repealing the Bush tax cuts.
and some newer ones such as uni-
versal access to health insurance.
portable pensions and wage insur-
ance. Protect people. not jobs. was
the headline message in the
Hamilton Project briefing paper

States pushed through language
urging countries to “work imme-
diately to reach with utmost ur-
gency a cease-fire that put an end
to the current violence and hostili-
ties." Most of the 18 parties called
instead for “urgent work on an im-
mediate cease-fire.“ As an alterna-
tive, Annan suggested a tempo-
rary “pause" in hostilities to let in
humanitarian assistance and de-
ploy an international force to dis-
tribute relief and eventually help
strengthen the Lebanese govern-
ment. an idea that other delegates
said was blocked by intense U.S.
pressure.

The U.S.—backed formulation
will allow fighting to continue un-
til a wide-ranging agreement can
be worked out. diplomats here
said.

Rice told reporters traveling
with her that talks will begin later
this week or early next week
among countries interested in
contributing troops to the pro-
posed multinational force. Plans
are also underway for one or two
new UN. Security Council resolu-
tions. which US. officials said
could be drafted as early as next
week.

The conference did not define
the terms or timing of the pro—
posed force. although Rice said
that it would not be expected to de—
ploy under hostile fire. The confer~
ence declaration said the force
should receive “a UN. mandate to
support" Lebanon's army in se-
curing the country‘s south.

Italian Prime Minister Ro~
mano Prodi said Wednesday he

that rejected the protectionist poli-
cies of the union left as well as the
“you‘re-on‘your-own" economics
of the laissez-faire right.

Policy-wise. this is exactly
where the Democratic Party as a
whole needs to be in terms of
trade and globalization. But the
problem is that. when you scratch
the surface. the free-trade mem-
bers of the Democratic establish-
ment turn out to be more commit-
ted to Part A of the formula. more
globalization. than they are to
Part B. making sure the benefits
from globalization are widely
shared. For them. it‘s really not a
package deal.

And if push comes to shove.
which it always does in trade poli-
tics. they'd welcome more global
ization even without the compen»
satory social policies.

How do I know this? Because
they said so.

At the conference‘s closing ses-
sion. I asked former Treasury sec-
retaries Robert Rubin and Larry
Summers anti former deputy
Treasury secretary Roger Altman
if any of them would be willing to
support the idea of a “time out"
on new free-trade initiatives until
there was some tangible progress
toward greater economic security
for US. workers. To a man. they
recoiled at the idea.

They explained to me that
globalization is such a widespread
and powerful phenomenon that it
would hardly be affected by trade
agreements.

Then. without missing a beat.
they turned around and argued
how crucial those agreements are.
running through the usual list of
horrors that would befall the

would commit troops to a military
force for Lebanon if it had a UN.
mandate. and Turkey, NATO’s
only Muslim member. said Tues-
day that it might join such a force
as well.

The conference's declaration
urged Israel “to exercise its ut-
most restraint” and pledged “to
provide immediate humanitarian
relief to the people of Lebanon."

A large international force m
with most estimates beginning
around 10.000 troops will take
significant time to organize. the
United Nations’ Roed-Larsen said.

The strategy Rice is trying to
orchestrate to stop Hezbollah’s at-
tacks on Israel centers on
strengthening the Lebanese gov-
ernment with international politi-
cal and military support that
might enable it to deal with
Hezbollah. US. officials said.
While earlier governments in
Beirut have been unwilling and
unable to disarm Hezbollah ever
since the radical Shiite militia's
founding in 1982. diplomats travel-
ing with Rice said that Hezbollah
will eventually recognize that it is
in its self-interest to disarm and
become just a Lebanese political
party.

“This is not a Hezbollah-cen-
tered approach. It is based on a
government-of—Lebanon ap-
proach." State Department
spokesman Adam Ereli said. “We
think Hezbollah will see that it's
in its interests to do it. We want to
create a reality that makes main-
taining an independent armed
force in Lebanon unsustainable.“

for Dems
use it

country if the United States were
to put its free-trade agenda on
hold:

That the United States would
give up its role as the leading force
for internationalism.

That such a move would send a
terrible signal from the world's su-
perpower about its isolationist in~
stincts.

And. oh yes. my personal fa-
vorite that if we stopped negoti-
ating trade treaties. other coun-
tries would rush around and sign
bilateral agreements without us.

All of these
course. are beside the point. This
is about the politics of trade. not
the policies. And it's a perfect ex-
ample of how the Democrats have
lost the instinct for the political
jugular and the ability to use poli-
cy disputes to political advantage.

The idea here isn‘t to kill free
trade. It‘s to take it hostage.

That's a big problem for the
business community. particularly
big corporations such as Lucent.
AIG anti General Electric. Democ-
rats now have a perfect opportuni-
ty to deliver what the business
community wants and to de-
mand in exchange programs de-
signed to provide workers more
economic security.

But such negotiations will nev-
er succeed if influential Democ-
rats give away the store in ad-
vance by signaling they support
all trade liberalization. uncondi-
tionally.

No guarantees of health care.
pensions. expanded unemploy-
tnent insurance no ntore trade
deals. It‘s a simple message even
chief executives can understand.
Voters. too.

 

arguments. of

Thursday. July 27, 2006 1 PAGE 3

“as snot"

Execution set in Virginia
for pagan devotee

By Timothy Dwyer
THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON .V It is often said
that inmates find God when they get
to prison. That is only partly true
for Michael Lenz. Once behind bars.
he became a devoted pagan. wor-
shipping multiple gods from Norse
mythology —-~ some with familiar
names such as the mighty Thor and
his father. Odin.

Lenz. a drifter from Prince
William County. Va.. serving 29
years and 30 days in prison for bur-
glary and firearm possession. con-
verted to Asatru. an ancient hea-
then religion. and helped found a
prison chapter called Ironwood Kin-
dred.

The religion became the focal
point of his life ~ “the only thing
that mattered to him." according to
legal documents. And it was this de-
votion to his gods that. according to
his testimony. prompted
him to plan a murder- u
ous ambush at a
makeshift pagan altar
set up in a prison con-
ference room.

Thursday night.
Lenz. who still prac-
tices Asatru from his
cell on Virginia’s death
row. is scheduled to be
put to death by lethal
injection for killing in
the name of his gods.
He has applied for a
stay of execution by the
US. Supreme Court and
for clemency from De-
mocratic Gov. Timothy
Kaine.

Lenz is one of a few
inmates in Virginia
prisons who practice
Asatru. But in prisons
across the United
States. the number of
converts has increased
in recent years. according to ex
perts. some of whom say prisoners
find encouragement for violence in
the gods they worship.

“This is a warrior thing." said
Heidi Beirich. deputy director of
the Intelligence Project for the
Southern Poverty Law Center.
which tracks hate groups and ex-
tremist organizations. “What they
take out of it is violence. physical
dominance and racial purity. To
them. Thor represents the ultimate
white male."

Beirich said many of the in-
mates who have converted to Asatru
or ()dinism are white supremacists.
"It is anti-Christian. and these par»
ticular pagan religions glorify
deities created by the white race."
she said. "They reflect values they
are drawn to. like being really
strong. being able to fight Thor
with his hammer. And that's what
they worship."

Beirich said there are racist and
non-racist versions of the religion
in prisons and among the general
population.

Stephen McNalien. director of
the Asatru Folk Assembly a leading
Asatru group in the United States.
has been fielding calls frotn the me-
dia as lienz's execution approaches.

“There is nothing in Asatru that
would justify what he did." Mc-
Nallen said of the killing by Lenz
and Jeffrey Remington. Lenz's best
friend. who also was an Asatru
devotee.

“There is just not justification
for what he did. Like any other
group. we expect the holy powers to
be honored. Clearly. when someone
does something that is just plain
wrong. just plain evil. obviously it
hurts us. It hurts us in the same
way that the lunatic-fringe Muslims
hurt Islam. It is an embarrass-
ment."

And so I

I pulled a
knife out of
my pocket
and said, ‘Are
you trying to
take it to the
next step?’
And he said,
'Yes, I am.’

stabbed him.”

Michael Lentz

convucted murderer on
Death Row in Virginia

Once a Catholic altar boy. Me
Nallen, 57. said he became a devotee
of Asatru about 35 years ago while
contemplating a career in the US
Army. “This warrior thing loomed
in my own life." he said. He prefers
not to use heathen or pagan as ad:
jectives because. he said. both ter