4 8A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 21, 2004 NEWS POLLS Continued from page 1A UAAO co-chair Stephanie Chang said their voter-monitoring plan will be a "ground-breaking" endeavor because it is specifically aimed at overturning voting roadblocks that both Asian and Arab Americans face. "People are paying attention to the voting rights of students and other minorities, but not a lot of people are paying attention to the barriers Asians and Arabs face," she said. "When we do this we are trying to bring it in a new direction by focusing it on them." But as the defense fund and its allies prepare for election day, minority voters in Michigan should not worry about facing discrimination at the polls, said Kelly Chesney, spokeswoman for Michigan's Department of State. "We do not have evidence that discrimination goes on in Michigan," she said. "Instead, we have a history of well-conducted elections in Michigan."' Not only are Michigan's election officials trained to deal with different ethnic groups, but officials also come from the communities they are serving and interact with their voters on a daily basis, Chesney said. "We do sensitivity training and deal with different popu- lations. Not just different ethnic groups but people with hearing problems or disabilities of some sorts. We train them to deal with all situations, not just race," she added. In the meantime, Fung said their workers will monitor the sites in Michigan and seven other states by offering direct information to voters who have experienced problems with voting. She also said they will have a multilingual election hotline to assist voters who may have encountered problems and if needed, can call a local attorney to intervene on their behalf. Defense funds attorneys are also at work checking up on election registration offices to ensure voters are registered correctly, Fung added. In tandem, the defense fund hopes to gain voter information from the project, which could be used as a long-term method to resolve polling site issues. Chang said in addition to providing guidance to voters, the 60 to 70 student volunteers from the University will monitor polling sites in Detroit, Hamtramck, Dearborn and Ann Arbor by conducting exit-poll surveys, tallying the number of voters who feel they were discriminated against and for whom they voted. Having this information can also be used in future litigation if polling sites show prevalent problems, Mallik said. Ultimately it will lead to the improved security of minority voting rights, she added. i"By getting voters to respond to the survey, we will be collecting important information about Asian American voting patterns and expe- riences. This can be used to better serve the minority community in later elections and ensure that their voices be heard." Padilla lawyer calls detention unconstitutional I CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Attorneys for alleged enemy combat- ant Jose Padilla argued yesterday that the president has no authority to order anyone held indefinitely without charg- es, nor does any federal law allow such detentions. Padilla, a U.S. citizen whom the gov- ernment alleges was part of an al-Qaida plot to set off a radiological bomb, is being held at the brig at the Charleston Naval Weapons Station. "The Constitution grants the presi- dent no power to detain a citizen seized in a civilian setting in the United States and to imprison him, indefinitely and without charge, in a military brig," the lawyers said in a court filing. "No statute authorizes such detention." The motion asks that Padilla be freed while the government decides whether to bring criminal charges. Padilla, who was born in New York City, was arrested in Chicago after the 2001 terror attacks. He was later desig- nated an enemy combatant, brought to the brig and prevented from challenging his detention. His attorneys sued, and last year the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ordered him released unless the government charged him with a crime. The U.S. Supreme Court, without ruling on the merits of the case, decided the New York court had no jurisdiction over the brig commander. The lawsuit was refiled in Charleston. The government has until late next month to respond to yesterday's motion, and a judge will hear arguments in early January. The defense linked Padilla's case to that of Yaser Hamdi, another so-called enemy combatant held in U.S. solitary confinement for nearly three years after being captured on an Afghan battlefield. Hamdi, who was born in Louisi- ana, was released last week after the Justice Department said he no longer posed a threat to the United States and no longer had any intelligence value. The Supreme Court had ruled earlier that Hamdi should be allowed to argue for his freedom. "A state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens," Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote in the Hamdi case. An order by President Bush in November 2001 allows captives to be detained as "enemy combatants" if they were members of al-Qaida, engaged in or aided terrorism or har- bored terrorists. The designation may also be applied if it is "the interest of the United States" to hold an individual during hostilities. In their motion, Padilla's attorneys argue "the indefinite military deten- tion of citizens arrested in the United States based on suspected wrongdoing is entirely unprecedented in American history." .' . Sgt pleads guilty to prison abuse .n ........... .... . 'a ...... .... :. :...,:.-.,.k .: BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. Army staff sergeant pleaded guilty yes- terday to abusing Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison, telling a military court that prisoners were forced to submit to public nudity and degrading treatment "for military intelligence purposes." Army reservist Ivan "Chip" Freder- ick, 38, of Buckingham, Va., confessed to eight counts of conspiracy, derelic- tion of duty, maltreatment of detainees, assault and committing an indecent act. He was expected to be sentenced today and could receive 11 years in prison. A military policeman who is a cor- rections officer in civilian life, Frederick is the highest-ranking soldier charged in the scandal, which broke in April with the publication of photos and videos showing American troops abusing and humiliating naked Iraqi detainees. His lawyer, Gary Myers, said Fred- erick agreed to cooperate fully in fur- ther investigations and would testify at courts-martial for other soldiers. "I was wrong about what I did and I shouldn't have done it," Frederick told the judge, Army Col. James Pohl. "I knew it was wrong at the time because I knew it was a form of abuse." But Frederick also blamed his chain of command, saying he was given no train- ing or support in supervising detainees and only learned of regulations against mistreatment after the abuses occurred between October and December last year. He testified that when he brought issues up with his commanders, "they told me to do what MI told me to do," referring to military intelligence. A report this year by Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba said using MPs to break prisoners may have been a technique imported from the Guantanamo Bay prison and possibly detention centers in Afghanistan holding suspected terrorists. During the proceeding, Chief Warrant Officer Kevin Kramer, a military intelli- gence soldier called as a witness, referred to an e-mail from the U.S. command in Baghdad telling him to order his inter- rogators to be tough on prisoners. "The gloves are coming off, gentle- men, regarding these detainees," said the e-mail, which was read into evidence. It added that the command "wants the detainees broken." g }THE2004° (STUDENT) POLITICAL DEBATE PRESENTED AND MODERATED B THE MICHIGAN DAILY R; ATS C ISLE E ' LICAN STU TSTORIADE Go here _., . i 4NO* STUDEN 'aREENS COLLEGE LIBERTARIANS' STUDENTS FOR SOCIAL EQUALITY SIX STUDENT GROUPS,; ONE DEBATE" ONE NIGHT:*~ www.fordvehidesxom/col I egeg rad { -------------------- to et there -------- 9 , ;. 1 t.t ' ":° xL ' d . A:<,.,...;4f:::}> Ri::' x..n:uxt'" ,i o x one price, no haggling. 'sx {ki <:: ;vs 111, 60 :.: .. 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