2 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, April 1, 1998 NATION/WORLD Justices back decency standard in arts funding Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON - Hearing arguments in a case that blends art, politics and the law, the Supreme Court justices strongly signaled yesterday they will uphold a "decency" standard for federal arts grants. In questions and comments, none of the nine justices sug- gested that Congress violated the First Amendment when it told the National Endowment for the Arts to consider "general stan- dards of decency and respect for the diverse beliefs and values of the American people" when awarding grants. Indeed, Chief Justice William Rehnquist wanted to know why the government did not object immediately when a fed- eral judge in Los Angeles struck down this law six years ago. "Why didn't the government seek a stay in this court?" Rehnquist asked, bluntly revealing that he thought the first ruling was in error. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Anthony Kennedy ques- tioned why four so-called "performance artists" were given standing in court to challenge the law, since they had not lost grants because of it. "This seems remote and abstract - not a concrete case," Kennedy said. And Justice Antonin Scalia, probably the court's most con- servative member, railed at the notion that taxpayers' money was used to subsidize homoerotic photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe and Andres Serrano's depiction of a cross dipped in urine. "I thought the government doesn't have to buy Mapplethorpe, and it doesn't have to fund Mapplethorpe," Scalia said. The controversy surrounding the NEA height- ened in 1989 with the news that federal funds had helped pay for exhibits of work by Mapplethorpe and Serrano. Congressional critics assailed the arts endowment and threatened to pass laws that would forbid support specifical- ly for obscene or sacrilegious art. As a compromise, it enact- ed the warning to take "decency" into account. In 1990, when the bill was pending, the NEA's chairperson canceled solo performance awards to Los Angeles artists Tim Miller and John Fleck and New Yorkers Karen Finley and Holly Hughes. Three of the four used gay themes in their work. Finley is perhaps best known for appearing on stage covered in melted chocolate. a KNOW OF NEWS? CAL 76- DAILY. BILLING Continued from Page 1. court ruled the YMCA had to follow state landlord tenant laws. Cahill said he believed the University legally has to abide by the same precedent. Mayes said this is the first time he has charged residents under the group billing statute. He said sixth floor res- idents have caused problems through- out the year, including prior incidents of vandalism. "Since October, we've had constant problems with noise and alcohol, to the point where security has to make extra rounds between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.," Mayes said. "I don't take (group billing) lightly. It has to be a year-long problem." LSA first-year student David Stern, a sixth floor resident, said he acknowl- edges that his floor is rowdy at times, but said rowdiness is not justification for charging his hall for vandalism. Stern said he and others will not pay the fine. "Before I (pay) it, I'd definitely talk to a lawyer," Stern said. "Almost every- one in (my hall) doesn't.know who did it and most people don't care who did it." Levy said all group billing charges are charged to a resident's student account. He said late fees will be levied against students who refuse to pay the fine. Cahill said the only way the group billing law would be changed is if a group of students took the University to court. Eliminating the group billing law "would require a big fight," Cahill said. "Some group would probably need to file suit against the University." LIKE NORTH CAMPUS? YOU'LL LOVE WILLOWTREEe 1 and 2 bedrooms Plenty of Free parking Now leasing for Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall WILLOWTREE APARTMENTS 769-1313 Look for us at the U-M Housing Fair! ENO I Polygraphs may be banned, Court rules WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that state and fedi governments may ban the use of polygraph evidence in court, declaring that do. and uncertainties remain about the accuracy of the so-called lie-detector tests. Close to 30 states ban polygraph evidence, and some legal experts said yes day's 8-1 decision might prompt the states that do not have outright prohibitions polygraphs to consider imposing them. a The ruling marks the first time the high court has taken up the issue of polygr testing, and it comes at a time when the machines are increasingly being used < side of the courtroom. Prosecutors use them to extract confessions from susp and defense lawyers use them for leverage in plea bargains. The military usestt to safeguard national security and prevent espionage, and private companies ol rely on them to uncover employee wrongdoing or to monitor workers in sensi jobs. The test results can still be used for these purposes. Advocates of polygraphs say the instruments have grown increasingly soph cated in recent years in their ability to determine whether a person is lying recording their breathing, blood pressure and skin conditions. But several justices expressed skepticism about the science and the ability examiner using the polygraph device to accurately gauge whether some telling the truth. AROUND THE NATION I In Five Montana Freemen found guilty BILLINGS, Mont. -A federal court jury yesterday found five Montana Freemen guilty of criminal charges in the first trial resulting from the 81-day standoff between the anti-government militants and the FBI in 1996. The jury acquitted Edwin Clark, one- time owner of the foreclosed farm that formed most of the Freemen stronghold in rural eastern Montana. Clark's lawyer had argued he was desperate to save the farm and swept up in events. Four of the Freemen were convicted of being accessories after the fact to the armed holdup of an ABC television news crew attempting to film a story on the Freemen. They were Steven Hance, and his sons, John and James, all of Charlotte, N.C., and Jon Barry Nelson, of Marion, Kan. All three Hances were also con- victed of being fugitives in possession of firearms. Elwin Ward was found innocent of being an accessory to any crimes com- mitted by other members of Freemen. But he was convicted of mitting a false claim to the Inte Revenue Service. Ward tried to pay a $143,000 fed tax bill with a bogus Freemen war for twice that amount, and requj refund of the excess. Therapeutic touch may not heal CHICAGO - A study conducted 9-year-old girl for a science project published in a distinguished medical j nal concludes that "therapeutic touch which a healer supposedly manipu patient's energy field, is bunk. Emily Rosa, the daughter of are tered nurse and an inventor, said tha experienced practitioners were unab detect the field they supposedly ma ulate to heal. Her study was published in tod Journal of the American Med Association and immediately drew from supporters of the practice, whc it is respected worldwide. Ha s off., rduates the cens pensotion, benefits and rewards you'd expect form a fortune 500 company. We are currentyrriting for Computer Engine'ers, Sstems Engineers, Bursiness/ainance/Accownti / M SlS Engineers. , _ Please visit us at the NAB-BSA Career Fair en April tSh at the Las V.gas Convention Center Mn Las Vegas, NW. if your are unable to attend, please for- ward your resume to: Shamws Oberleteu, Mmas Resources, Codls o . erul -e s '....s, Dovisin, 470DkeS see~Site 200, Mse. ON 45040, or ffew 513.459.3192. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. 3 HARRMS AROUND THE WORLD .. Netanyahu: Israel will stand firm MAALE ADUMIM, West Bank - Rebuffing U.S. efforts to win an Israeli troop withdrawal from the West Bank, a defiant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Jewish settlers yesterday that Israel would achieve its aims only by standing firm. "In this process, the chances of suc- cess are measured by one thing: the level of our stubbornness" Netanyahu told high school students in Maale Adumim, a West Bank settlement east of Jerusalem. American envoy Dennis Ross returned to Washington yesterday after failing to persuade Netanyahu to accept a U.S. proposal to pull back from an additional 13 percent of the West Bank. Netanyahu insists that Israel cannot give up more than 9 percent of the West Bank for security reasons and that Israel will not give up any land at all unless the Palestinians do more to fight terror. "What will bring the process for- ward is that the necessary grounp laid - that is that the Palestinian fulfills its commitments,' he yesterday. "We are not suckers," he addel the Hebrew slang word "freier' w means sucker, or chump. "Israel ca give and give and not get anythingl in return.' Kocharian elected president of Annei YEREVAN, Armenia - Kocharian has been elected presiu Armenia, according to partial ,re released yesterday, linking the futui Armenia even more closely to the'fa the disputed enclave of Nagc Karabakh in next-door Azerbaijan. Armenia helped its ethnic kin.ii enclave win an eight-year war of i pendence, and despite isolation, nomic hardship and the threa renewed conflict, few Armenians s inclined to give Nagorno-Ka back. - Compiled from Daily wire rep U' Anyone Can Enter.! tea. , .*. uI J; Iii Ed The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms I students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mai $85. Winter term (January through April) is $95, yearlong (September through April) is $165. On-cam scriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of the Associated Press and the Associated Collegiate Press. ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327. PHONE NUMBERS (All area code 313): News 76-DAILY; Arts 763-0379; Sports 647-3336; Opinion 76405 Circulation 7640558; Classified advertising 7640557; Display advertising 764-0554; Billing 7640550. E-mail letters to the editor to daily.letters@umich.edu. World Wide Web: http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily EDITORIAL i NEWS Janet Adamy, Managing Et EDITORS: Maria Hackett, Heather Kamins, Jeffrey Kosseff, Chris Metinko. STAFF: Melissa Andrzejak, Reilly Brennan, Jodi S. Cohen, Gerard Cohen-vrignaud, Rachel Edelman. Jeff Eldridge, Margene Eriksen , Eri Holmes. Steve Horwitz, Hong Un, Pete Meyers. William Nash. Christine M. Paik,L ee Palmer, Katie Plona, Susan T. Port. Eliana Raik, Anupama Reddy. Josh Rosenblatt, Melanie Sampson. Killy Scheer. Nika Schulte, Carty Southworth, Mike Spahn, Sam Stavis, Jason St Carrisa van Heest, Will Weisser t, Sarah Welsh, Heather Wiggin, Kristin Wright, Jennifer Yachnin. CALENDAR: Katie Plona. EDITORIAL Jack SchilacIG ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Sarah Lockyer. STAFF: Lea Frost, Kaamran Hafeez, Eric Hochstadt, Scott Hunter, Jason Korb, Yuki Kuniyuki, Sarah Lemire, Ern Marsh, James Miller, Rich, Joshua Rich, Stephen Sarkozy. Megan Schimpf, Paul Senilla, David Wallace, Josh White, Matt Wimsatt. SPORTS Jim Rose, ManagingE EDITORS: Chris Farah, Sharat Rju, Mark Snyder, Dan Stillman. STAFF: Drew Beaver, T.J. Berka, Josh Borkin, Evan Braunstein, Nicholas J. Cotsonika, Dave DenHerder. Chris Duprey, Jason Emeott, Jo Field. Mark Francescutti, Rick Freeman, John Friedberg, Alan Goldenbach, James Goldstein, Rick Harpster, Kim Hart, Josh Kleinbaum, Vaughn R. Klug, Chad Kujala, Andy Latack, John Leroi, Fred Link, BJ. Luria, Pranay Reddy, Kevin Rosenfield, Danielle Rumore, Tracy Sandler. Nita Srivastava, Uma Subramanian, Jacob Wheeler. ARTS Bryan Lark, Kristin Long, EdI WEEKEND, ETC. EDITORS: Emily Lambert, Elizabeth Lucas; Associate Editor: Christopher Tkaczyk SUBEDITORS: Brian Cohen (Music), Stephanie Love (Campus Arts), Joshua Pederson (Film), Jessica Eaton (Books), Michael Galloway (TV/New Media) STAFF: Joanne Alnajjar. Amy Barber. Matthew Barret t, Cohin 8ar tos, Caryn Burt, Anitha Chalam Gabe Fajuri, Laura Flyer, Geordy Gantsoudes, Cait Hall, Marquina hliev. Stephanie Jo Klein, Anna Kovalszki, James Miller, Rob Mitchum, Kerri Murphy, Jennifer Petlint Ryan Posly, Aaron Rennie, Aaron Rich, Joshua Rich, Deveron Q. Sanders, Erin Diane Schwartz, Anders Smith-Undall. Cara Spind Prashant Tamaskar, Ted Watts, Curtis Zimmerman. PHOTO Margaret Myers, warren Zinn, Edi STAFF: Allison Canter, Louis Brown, Mallory S.E. Floyd, Joy Jacobs. Jessica Johnson. John Kraft, Dana Linnane, Emily Nathan, Nathan Ruffer, Stillman, Paul Talanian, Adriana Yugovich. ONLINE Chris Farah, Ei STAFF: Mark Francescutti. Marquina Iliev,;Elizabeth Lucas, Adam Pollock. GRAPHICS Jonathan Weltz, Ei STAFF: Alex Hoa. Michelle McCombs, Jordan Young. *AG i 3~5,