I [-NATION/WORLD C§,1mn i i n Trixi TXTT D)TTu 1%0/% a i i r SA f inin reforms Weighed by court WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court was told yesterday that Congress overstepped its bounds in passing legislation imposing compli- cated new rules intended to clean up election campaign finances. The law "intrudes deeply into the political life of the nation" and "in a word, goes too far," said Kenneth Starr, the former independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clin- ton, who now is serving as an attorney for challengers to the law. Solicitor General Theodore Olson said the law was a response to a per- ception of corrupt politics - "the breakfasts, the lunches, the receptions, the dinners ... the relentless pursuit ofc big contributions." Justices returned early from their summer break for the first time int nearly three decades to hear argumentsE in the complex case, the results of which will guide next year's cam- paigns and those for years to come. i In the first half of arguments yester- day, justices animatedly queried attor- neys who contend the law is an1 unconstitutional infringement on free speech rights and government lawyersc defending the law. Groups as varied as the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Rifle Association are challenging the 2002 law, which bans huge, unlimited donations to political parties known as "soft money," and tightens controls on political advertising in the weeks before an election.c Starr, the first of eight attorneysI who would argue before the justices,f said the law hamstrings local politicali parties, which work with national par- ties, and hurts grass-roots political1 efforts. Justice Antonin Scalia seemed skep- tical of the law, which he said was passed by incumbent lawmakers wor-j ried about protecting themselves. "There will be abuses under this law,"I he predicted.I Olson said Congress may not havec fixed every potential abuse, but spentt six years coming up with the plan. The case attracted unusual attention.E Televisionicameras lined the approah ' to the court yesterday morning and a line of seat-seekers stretched down the plaza of the court building toward the1 street. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.)l and Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), princi- pal authors of the law under challenge, took seats side-by-side in the court. The court must decide if Congress' rewrite of campaign laws squares with First Amendment free-speech protec- tions. HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD NEW DELHI, India Pakistan criticizes Sharon's visit to India Ariel Sharon began a landmark visit to India yesterday, intent on cement- ing defense deals and fortifying his country's friendship with a longtime Palestinian ally during the first visit here by an Israeli prime minister. Pakistan, India's neighbor and chief rival, immediately warned of the "dangerous consequences" of a military alliance between Israel and India, knowing Sharon hopes to seal the $1 billion sale of an advanced airborne radar package. "I think such a collaboration should be avoided at all costs," Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan told reporters yesterday, adding it would hurt peace in the region. The United States is applauding the three-day state visit, the first by an Israeli leader since India opened ties with the Jewish state in 1992, and may be looking toward a three-way strategic alliance in the region. In the long term, however, Washington might oppose Israeli efforts to provide India with technology - some developed jointly with the United States - that could tilt the military balance in the region and upset U.S. allies, such as Pakistan, in the global war on terrorism. WASHINGTON Group files 261 lawsuits against file sharers The music industry's largest trade group filed 261 copyright lawsuits across the country yesterday against Internet users who trade songs online, an aggressive cam- paign to discourage piracy through fears of expensive civil penalties or settlements. The Recording Industry Association of America warned it ultimately may file thousands of cases. Its first round was aimed at what it described as "major offend- ers" illegally distributing on average more than 1,000 copyrighted music files each. "Some of my grandkids got in there," said Durwood Pickle, 71, of Richardson, Texas, who said his son had explained the situation in an e-mail to the recording industry association. "I didn't do it, and I don't feel like I'm responsible. It's been stopped now, I guarantee you that" Pickle said his teen-aged grandchildren used his computer during visits to his home. "I'm not a computer-type person," Pickle said. "They come in and get on the computer. How do I get out of this? Dadgum it, got to get a lawyer on this." I PARIS French report blasts understed hospitals A scathing French government report yesterday blamed hospital understaffing during summer holidays, chronic bureaucratic snags and a dearth of eld- erly care for the 11,400-plus death toll in this summer's brutal heat wave. Also yesterday, the Dutch Central Bureau for Statistics estimated 1,000 to 1,400 people died in the Netherlands from the heat that gripped Europe this summer - higher than an earlier pro- jection of 500 to 1,000. The French report, ordered by the Health Ministry, pointed to disarray and lack of communication between weather officials, emergency services and hospi- tals, and said that a "massive" exodus of doctors on August vacation left many elderly to fend for themselves. "Hospitals found theiselves in growing difficulties to provide person- nel in a sufficient number," said the 47- page report, with some 100 additional pages of graphs and charts. SHELBVILLE, Tenn. Southerners push for miitary school of old Disgusted by what they see as the extinction of the all-male Southern mili- tary college, some graduates want to build one of their own, based on the way The Citadel and Virginia Military Insti- tute used to be. That is, they say, before those schools started admitting women, before they stopped saying mealtime prayers and before the winds of political correctness swept aside many of the reminders of the Confederacy. "Southern traditions that have been tarnished and almost lost will live again," backers of the planned Southern Military Institute say on their Web site. "The con- cept of an officer and a Southern gentle- man will be the standard, not the exception." WASHINGTON As owners imore weight, so dopets The old wives' tale holds that people start to look like their pets. Turns out it's the other way around: America's pets are starting to look like Americans - over- weight. Whether it's round hounds or corpulent cats, as many as one-fourth of cats and dogs in the Western world are overweight, according to the National Research Coun- cil, an arm of the National Academies. It's the council's first update since 1986 of its "Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats" and, while aimed at vet- erinarians, pet food makers and scien- tists, the 500-page report also contains useful pointers for people with pets. Kathryn Michel, a veterinary nutri- tionist at the University of Pennsylvania, said she has noted more overweight pets in recent years, particularly cats, and the problem seems to occur at younger ages than in the past. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. WWW.MICHIGANDAILY.COM The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by stu- dents at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily's office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $105. Winter term (January through April) is $110, yearlong (September through April) is $190. 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