University Daily Kansan / Thursday. March 3. 1988
NationWorld
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Robertson says trial now would sacrifice campaign
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Pat Robertson wants to drop his libel suit against a former congressman who questioned his war record because going to trial now would "sacrifice his presidential campaign," his lawyer said yesterday.
But Robertson's accuser said, "He's chickening out of the trial just like he chickened out 37 years ago."
Former Rep. Paul McCloskey, R-Calif., has accused Robertson of using his father's political influence to avoid combat duty in the Korean War.
McCloskey has said in recent weeks that he wouldn't settle the suit unless Robertson paid the costs of defending against the suit, which McCloskey estimated at $400,000.
The trial, set to begin on Tuesday when Robertson hopes to do well in delegate-rich Southern primaries,
would force him off the campaign trail for three weeks, attorney Douglas Rigler said.
In dropping the lawsuit, "Robertson does not intend to back away at any time from his denial of the charges that Mr. McCloskey made," Rigler said.
“If the judge will give me about another month, I'd love to go into it.”
Robertson said yesterday in South Carolina that he wanted to press ahead with the suit but couldn't be in court and out campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination at the same time.
In January, the judge refused to postpone the trial until June 20.
Under rules of civil procedure, a plaintiff cannot drop a case without the defendant's consent once the lawsuit has been answered or without a court order dismissing the case.
Progress reported in Afghan talks
GENEVA — Negotiators yesterday launched their latest and possibly last round of Afghanistan peace talks, and the U.N. mediator said he was confident of forging a settlement ending Soviet involvement in the country.
"This was a good session," said Pakistan's acting foreign minister, Zain Norani, as he emerged from the first closed-door meeting late yesterday. "We are cautiously optimistic."
The Associated Press
Pakistan is representing the Afg han guerrillas in the talks.
Afghanistan's foreign minister,
Abdul Wakil, told reporters that his
meeting with mediator Diego Cor-
dovez was "very nice."
Cordovez has been the go-between since the indirect negotiations began nearly six years ago. Because Pakistan is refused to recognize Afghanistan's Soviet-backed government, the delegations sit in separate rooms, with Cordovoz shuttling back and forth.
Soviet leader Mkailah S. Gorbachev announced last month that if a settlement were signed by March 15, the withdrawal of an estimated 115,000 Red Army troops from Afghanistan could begin by May 15.
Pakistan wants any settlement to be accompanied by formation of a transitional government, replacing the present one headed by President Najib.
PHOENIX, Ariz. — An alleged death threat against a grand jury witness was "a political matter," not a crime, a defense lawyer suggested yesterday at Gov. Evan Mecham's impeachment trial.
primary in my mind," said Department of Public Safety Lt. Charles "Beau" Johnson, "I did not really think of it in the political sense."
Johnson and another former member of the governor's DPS security detail have testified that they were told that Mecham's aide, Lee Watkins, threatened last November that the governor's legislative liaison, Donna Carlson, might "go on a long boat ride" if she didn't stop testifying before a grand jury that was investigating Mecham.
House easily passes civil rights bill
But Mecham's former security chief, testifying for a second day, said he considered the incident a potential felony and personally told Mecham a crime could be involved "The criminal nature of it was
Lawyer calls death threat 'political'
WASHINGTON — The House overwhelmingly passed a landmark civil rights bill yesterday that would broaden protections for women, minorities, the elderly and the handicapped, but President Reagan has vowed to veto the measure.
The Associated Press
Reagan threatens veto, says bill intrudes into private sector
The Associated Press
Both chambers easily passed the bill by the two-thirds margin needed to override a presidential veto, but it was unclear whether the huge margins would hold up following Reagan's vow yesterday to reject the measure.
The Civil Rights Restoration Act, considered by many lawmakers the most significant civil rights measure in 20 years, was sent to the White House on a 315-98 vote. The Senate passed it by a 75-14 vote in January.
In the 1984 case brought by Grove City (Pa). College, the Supreme
The restoration act was designed to reverse a 1984 Supreme Court decision that narrowed the scope of four important civil rights laws meant to prevent taxpayer-financing of discrimination.
In the letters, sent from Brussels, Belgium, where Reagan is attending a NATO summit, the president said the bill "dramatically expands the scope of federal jurisdiction over state and local governments and the private sector" and "poses a particular threat to religious liberty."
In letters delivered yesterday to several House Republicans, Reagan said flatly that he would veto the law. It was presented in its current form.
The bill also says farmers receiving crop subsidies, people on food stamps and other individuals receiving federal assistance are not required to comply with the anti-discrimination statutes.
The restoration act clarifies that entire institutions and government agencies are covered if any program or activity within them receives federal aid. The broad coverage also applies to the private sector if the aid goes to a corporation as a whole or if the recipient principally provides education, health care, housing, social services or parks and recreation.
Court said in a 6-3 opinion that Title IX, a law barring sex discrimination in federally funded education programs, applied only to specific programs or activities receiving federal assistance and not to the institutions of which they are part.
Sponsors of the restoration act said Congress always intended broad civil rights protections on the theory that "those who dip their hands in the public till should not object if a little democracy sticks to their fingers," as Rep. Augustus Hawkins, D-Calif., put it.
But opponents said that the bill went far beyond restoration. Like Reagan, they complained that it was too intrusive into the private sector and religious organizations.
Rep. George Gekas, R-Pa., said,
"The wording of the law is going to bring about unintended consequences like you could never imagine."
GOP leaders trade barbs; Bush leads in polls
The Associated Press
Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole and Vice President George Bush swapped fresh attacks in new television commercials as the campaign intensified for support in a critical round of Southern primaries on Super Tuesday next week.
Fresh public opinion polls showed Bush had a large lead in Texas and Florida, the states with the biggest delegate prizes in next week's festival of primaries. Dole aides conceded that the outlook was generally
bleak for their man from one end of Dixie to the other.
"We hope to bounce back the following week" in the Illinois primary, said one aide, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We'll be heavy in Illinois. I think if Dole doesn't win Illinois, it's just about over."
Bush was sounding increasingly confident.
"All across the South we're going to have our day in the sun," he said as he made his way across Dixie.
Under attack once again by Dole for his role in the Iran-Croutain affair, the vice president said, "I have every right to set the record straight. . . . You know we not going to sit out there unprotected."
A senior aide, Rich Bond, said the campaign had begun running a commercial in South Carolina criticizing Dole for not supporting President Reagan enough.
Dole has begun airing a commercial attacking Bush for saying "c'est la vie" — "That's life" — to the textile imports that have damaged the economy in North Carolina and South Carolina.
"If they move their negative (commercials) to other places, we're going to come back," said Bond.
Campaigning in Louisiana, Dole said there might be some connection between Bush's tenure as head of the CIA and rumors that Panamanian strongman Manuel Norgiea, indicted in this country on drug charges, had been on the spy agency payroll. He refused to elaborate.
U. N. WANTS ARBITRATION: The U.N. General Assembly yesterday voted overwhelmingly in an emergency session to order the United States to submit to binding arbitration its plan to close the PLO U.N. mission. The United States' Western allies joined the majority. Israel cast the only dissenting vote.
News Roundup
PEACE IN SPACET A U.S. artist said yesterday that he signed an agreement with the Soviet
Union to launch what could be the first sculpture in space: a huge ring with "peace" written on it in different languages. Arthur Woods said he signed the agreement last week with Dmitri Poletayev, a representative of the Soviet space agency Glavkosmos, to launch the sculpture in 1990 or 1991.
PANAMANIAN FUNDS: The United States is taking legal action to prevent Panama's military-dominated regime from withdrawing Panamanian government funds from U.S. banks, a lawyer representing opposition forces said yesterday. Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams raised the possibility that the United States will withhold the next payment due to Panama for tolls, fees and services for Panama Canal operations.
SHULTZ BACK TO MIDEAST: President Reagan, vowing to "spare no effort" in the pursuit of peace, ordered Secretary of State George P. Shultz yesterday to return to the Middle East for more talks with Arab and Israeli leaders.
NATO DEMANDS CUTBACKS: NATO leaders yesterday demanded huge cutbacks in Warsaw Pact tanks and artillery that "cast a shadow" over Europe and endorsed President Reagan's efforts to negotiate strategic arms reductions with the Soviet Union.
ANTI-APARTHEID PROPOSAL DENOUNDED:
The U.S. State Department yesterday denounced a South African government proposal to block foreign financing of political groups and individuals, perhaps including those receiving $25 million from the U.S. government.
Tuesday's proposal, apparently aimed at more groups than the 17 anti-apartheid organizations hit by the South African government last week, would restrict groups found to receive foreign money.
LONDON COMMUTERS REBEL: A mutiny broke out on among usually meek and patient London commuters, with passengers refusing orders to leave their delay-plagued subway train until its driver took them to their destination. Only about a dozen rebellious passengers were involved in the Tuesday night incident on the "tube." as the subway system is known.
A benefit concert for L.I.N.K. and Warm Hearts
Winter Warm-up '88
Come heat it up with
★ The Homestead Grays
★ Lonnie Ray and the Blues All Stars
★ The Art Band
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Tommy Johnson
Admission: $4.00 or $3.00 plus two cans of food.
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March 3, 1988
Liberty Hall
7:00 PM
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- 80386 CPU
- IMB Ram
- One 1.2MB floppy
- One 40 MB Hard dis
- One 40 MB Hard disk
- Serial and parallel ports
- EGA adaptor
- 14" EVEREX EGA
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* EGA adapter
- MS-DOS 3.3GW basic 3.3
- MS-DOS 3.3GW basic 3.3
- One year warranty
Color Monitor
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After Basking In The Tropical Sun, Lounge In A Soothing Teddy From Temptations...