--1-9 2 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 14, 2003 NATION/WORLD Commandment controversy heats up NEWS IN BRIEF Alabama chief justice removed removed, and it was finally wheeled away 1 from office after refusing to move Aug 27to a storage room on instructions JERUSALEM Tgn CfdMoore's eight fellow justices. Ten Commandments monument The Court of the Judiciary - a panel of FRIrI iovi1iiD1 ; i 1 1 ; " . 3 f .. 4 u ._/s F yy ! y .: «. :T' i* " MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama: Chief Justice Roy Moore, who became a hero to religious conservatives for refusing to remove his granite Ten Commandments monument from the state court- house, was thrown off the bench yesterday by a judicial ethics panel for having "placed himself above the law" "I have absolutely no regrets. I have done what I was sworn to do,' Moore declared afterward, draw- ing applause from dozens of supporters at the courthouse. "It's about whether or not you can acknowledge God as a source of our law and our liberty. That's all I've done." The nine members of the Court of the Judiciary handed out the harshest penalty possible, saying Moore left them with no choice by repeatedly insisting he would never obey a federal judge's order to move the 2 1/2-ton block of granite from the courthouse rotunda. "Anything short of removal would only serve to set up another confrontation that would ultimately bring us back to where we are today," the panel said. Moore spent eight months designing the monument and helped move it into the building one night in 2001. He soon became a lightning rod for criticism from civil-liberties activists who said the stone tablets promoted religion in violation of the separation of church and state. A federal judge ordered the monument judges, lawyers and others appointed various- ly by judges, legal leaders and the governor and lieutenant governor - began hearing tes- timony Wednesday on Moore's defiance and issued its ruling yesterday. The panel could have continued the suspension or reprimand- ed Moore. "The chief justice placed himself above the law," said Presiding Judge William Thompson. The court emphasized that its ruling was not a judgment about the monument itself, stating, "the acknowledgment of God is very much a vital part of the public and private fabric of our country." Moore, 56, had been suspended since August but was allowed to collect his $170,000 annual salary. Moore said he would consult with his lawyers and with political and religious leaders as to whether to appeal and would make an announce- ment next week that could "alter the course of this country." He did not elaborate. He could appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court. If his removal stands, Gov.. Bob Riley will appoint a new chief justice to finish his term, which expires in 2007. Moore could still run for a seat on the court next year, provided he is not disbarred. The governor issued a statement saying he was "disappointed and concerned that the federal courts continue to attempt to remove references to God and faith from public arenas. All of us must, how- ever, respect the workings of our legal system and trust that it remains the best in the world" israeus, raesniarns ready rof um Looking ahead for the first time after months of impasse, the Israeli and Pales- tinian prime ministers yesterday prepared for a summit, possibly within days. Despite conciliatory statements, however, expectations are low that the U.S.- backed "road map" peace plan can be revived. Neither side appears closer to making concessions - a crackdown on militant groups by the Palestinians, a removal of dozens of settlement outposts by Israel. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia convened his Cabinet for the first time yesterday, a day after it was sworn in following two months of political wrangling. With a government finally in place, Qureia can focus on his priorities. He first wants to persuade militant groups to halt attacks on Israelis and then get Israel to agree to a truce, including a stop to military strikes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In the past, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has refused to halt such opera- tions, including targeted killings of militants, unless the Palestinian security forces begin dismantling armed groups, something the Palestinians refuse to do. Israel's position appears to have softened somewhat in recent days, and offi- cials have said they want to give Qureia a chance. VIRGINIA BECH, Va. One sniper trial concludes as another begins The jury in John Allen Muhammad's murder trial got the case yesterday after the prosecutor said during closing arguments that Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo formed "a sniper-spotter killing team" with Muhammad as the "captain." The jury of 11 whites and one black was to begin deliberating Friday morning. Meanwhile, Malvo's lawyer - delivering his opening statement at Malvo's trial 15 miles away in Chesapeake - said Muhammad turned Malvo into a "child soldier," brainwashing him into thinking that the killings were "designed to achieve a greater good of a fairer and righteous society." At Muhammad's trial, prosecutor Richard Conway forcefully countered the defense's central argument - that Muhammad can- not get the death penalty because the evidence points to Malvo as the triggerman in the sniper attacks. Conway portrayed Muhammad as playing a vital role. "We have a sniper-spotter killing team, taking out innocent people," the prosecutor told the jury. Pointing at Muhammad, he said: "Who do you think was the captain of this killing team? He's sitting right in front of you." Conway noted that a piece of text found on an electronic organizer in Muhammad's car said: "The truth of the Muham- mad assassinations." AP PHOTO Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore is shown yesterday in Montgomery after a special court removed him from office. Japan delays decision to send tro BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Japan put off a decision yesterday on sending troops to Iraq, a day after the deadliest attack on coalition forces since the war, and South Korea capped its contribu- tion at 3,000 soldiers - new setbacks to U.S. hopes for easing the pressure on its forces. U.S. troops pounded suspected guer- rilla targets in the capital for a second straight night under a new "get-tough" campaign against the insurgency. And the top American administrator, L. Paul Bremer, headed back to Baghdad after two days of White House talks with orders that Iraqis should take more responsibility for governing. On the eve of a visit to Tokyo by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Japan decided the time isn't right to send its forces to Iraq, indicating its deployment might be delayed until next year. Japan had hoped to send troops to Iraq to help rebuild the country by the end of 2003, but chief Cabinet Secre- tary Yasuo Fukuda backed off, saying Iraq is still too unstable. "Japan has said it wants to think about the timing" of its deployment, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said in Washington. "We under- stand that." South Korea also decided to limit its contribution to 3,000 troops, President Roh Moo-hyun announced. Denmark also rejected a push by two Danish sol- diers' unions to bolster its 410-member force by 100 more troops. Many countries and agencies in Iraq, including Spain, the Nether- lands, the United Nations and the international Red Cross, have been reconsidering their presence since they became targets. The reassessments came a day after Wednesday's suicide truck bombing at a base for Italian forces in the southern city of Nasiriyah killed at least 32 peo- ple - 18 of them Italians, and wounded more than 80. Officials said several of the wounded are not expected to sur- vive. Speaking to reporters today en route to Asia, Rumsfeld said countries that decide to participate in military operations in Iraq should do so only if they believe it is in their own interest. "It's a dangerous country, it's a vio- lent country," Rumsfeld said. "It's been a violent country for a long time and it very likely will be for a long time. Cer- tainly people need to participate there with their eyes open." Bremer headed back to Baghdad to work with Iraqis on developing a plan to speed up establishment of an Iraqi government. In Washington, a senior U.S. official said the Bush administration is propos- ing elections in the first half of next year and formation of a government before a constitution is written. For months, the administration has insisted that Iraqi leaders write a consti- tution and hold elections before power shifts from U.S. occupiers to Iraqis. But yesterday, Rice said the Iraqi Governing Council has resisted that American timeline. "It is still important that the Iraqi people have a permanent constitution and elections for a permanent govern- ment. Nothing has changed," Rice said. "But what is also important is that we find ways to accelerate the transfer of power to the Iraqis - they are clamoring for it, they are, we believe, ready for it." President Bush also expressed resolve to curb the violence against coalition forces. "We're going to pre- vail," he said. "We've got a good strate- gy to deal with these killers" For a second straight night yesterday, steady explosions shook Baghdad after sundown, part of an "Operation Iron Hammer," - a U.S. campaign against insurgents. American troops also shelled a dye factory on the southern outskirts of Baghdad in retaliation against rebel attacks on coalition headquarters. The )p5 to Iraq plant, which has been idle since the war that deposed Saddam Hussein, was rocketed by Apache helicopters on Wednesday evening. U.S. commanders said it had been used by insurgents to store ammunition. Yesterday, U.S. soldiers with loud- speakers drove through the neighbor- hood warning occupants to leave before the impending strike. Later, at least nine large-caliber shells were fired into the empty plant, heavily damaging the structure. The tactical goal was not immediate- ly clear since this sprawling metropolis of 5 million people has other sites to launch attacks. But the effect of retaliatory tactics could have the long-lasting effect of increasing resentment among Iraqis already upset by the heavy-handed tac- tics of the U.S. military. "George Bush said he wants to forge friendship between the Iraqi people and America. Is this how he wants build this friendship?" said the plant's owner, Waad Dakhel al-Boulani, as he watched the shelling. "The only weapon that they found inside was a Kalashnikov rifle for the guard" Lt. Col. George Krivo, the U.S. Army spokesman in Iraq, said that similar operations against the insurgents would intensify and continue. WAsHINGTON Testing shows math up, reading steady The nation's math report card shows promise, with more than seven in 10 fourth-graders and almost as many eighth-graders now achieving at a basic level or better. But enthusiasm over rising test scores is tempered by another figure: More than two-thirds of the students still can't do math at the level they should, based on federal standards. In reading, meanwhile, the perform- ance of students in grades four and eight largely held steady over the past year, continuing a trend in which math gains have been more pervasive. The new findings, based on represen- tative samples, come from the test con- sidered the best benchmark of progress over time and across the states: the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Compared with their peers in 2000, when the math test was last given, fourth-graders and eighth-graders made sizable gains at every level in 2003. WASHINGTON Victims' families criticize commission Relatives of people who perished in the Sept. 11 attacks say a federal com- mission accepted too many conditions in striking a deal with the White House over access to secret intelligence documents. The Family Steering Committee, a group of victims' relatives who are moni- toring the work of the independent com- mission, criticized the agreement announced late Wednesday. Under the deal, only some of the 10 commissioners will be allowed to examine classified intelligence documents, and their notes will be subject to White House review. "All 10 commissioners should have full, unfettered and unrestricted access to all evidence," the group said in a statement yesterday. WASHINGTON Mothers' social skills help raise children Among baboons, moms with lots of female friends are the most successful parents, according to a new study that supports the idea that social support is essential to baboon -or human - life. The study, appearing this week in the journal Science, found that baboon: mothers who formed networks of female friends were about a third more success- ful at raising their young than were, females who spent more time alone or isolated. "We don't know how sociability helps females, but we do know that social females do better at raising their young"adSsnAbrs ueUiest, said Susan Alberts, a Duke University researcher and co-author of the study. 0 ANN ARBOR REALTY LOCATION - LOCATION - LOCATION Central Campus Efficiencies, 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apts. Starting at $575 /mo. Includes some utilities. ANN ARBOR REALTY 616 CHURCH (734) 663-7444 Open Mon-Fri, 9 am to 5:30 pm WWW.ICHIGANDAILY.COM SO HO IT'S SMOKING. 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