Friday, October 6, 2006 - The Michigan Daily - 7A
Amish town
buries victims
of shooting
GEORGETOWN, Pa. (AP) Stoltzfus, 12, was scheduled for
- Scores of horse-drawn bug- Friday.
gies from across the Pennsylvania The killer's widow was invited
countryside clip-clopped past the to one of the funerals yesterday,
home of the schoolhouse gunman according to a Roberts family
to a wind-swept, hilltop graveyard member. But it was not immediate-
yesterday as the Amish buried four ly known if she attended. Roberts
of the girls killed in their class- was well-known around the com-
room. munity because his milk pickup
In a doleful scene that looked route took him to many Amish
like a 19th-century tintype, hun- dairy farms.
dreds of Amish - boys and beard- The girls, in white dresses made
ed men in wide-brimmed hats and by their families, were laid to rest
dark suits, women and girls in long in graves dug by hand in a small
black dresses and black mourn- burial ground bordered by corn-
ing bonnets - stood near a huge fields and a white rail fence. Amish
mound of earth for the brief grave- custom calls for simple wooden
side services. coffins, narrow at the head and feet
The daylong series of three and wider in the middle.
funeral processions took the cof- To protect the privacy of the
fins past the home of Charles Carl Amish, all roads leading into
Roberts IV, the 32-year-old milk the village of Nickel Mines were
truck driver who laid siege Mon- blocked off for both the funerals,
day to the girls' one-room school- which were held in the families'
house in an attack so traumatic that homes, and the burials. Airspace
the building may soon be razed to for 2 1/2 miles in all directions was
obliterate the memories. closed to news helicopters.
Benjamin Nieto, 57, watched the Tragedies such as the massa-
processions from a friend's porch. cre at Columbine High School in
"They were just little people;' he Colorado have become moments
said of the victims. "They never got of national mourning, in large
a chance to do anything." part because of satellite and TV
Pennsylvania state troopers on technology. But the Amish shun
horseback and a funeral director's the modern world and both its ills
black car with flashing yellow lights and conveniences, including auto-
cleared the way for up to four dozen mobiles and most electrical appli-
buggies, including black carriages ances.
carrying the hand-sawn wooden "I just think at this point most-
coffins of 7-year-old Naomi Rose ly these families want to be left
Ebersol, then 13-year-old Mar- alone in their grief and we ought
ian Fisher, then sisters Mary Liz to respect that," said Dr. D. Hol-
Miller, 8, and Lena Miller, 7. The mes Morton, who runs a clinic that
funeral for the fifth girl, Anna Mae serves Amish children.
Pelosi promises
integrity, civility
WATCH OUT
Four-year-old Ann Arbor resident Stuart Atkinsmith plays with the propellor of the Human Powered Submarine Team's
submarine at an open house at the Wilson Center yesterday.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Rel-
ishing the prospects of a triumph,
Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi
yesterday promised to restore
integrity and civility to the House
if voters put her party in control
this fall.
"We'll turn the most closed and
corrupt Congress into the most
open and honest Congress," Pelosi
(D-Calif.) told The Associated
Press in an interview.
She spoke five weeks before the
midterm elections as the House
ethics committee opened an inves-
tigation into an unfolding sex scan-
dal that led to Rep. Mark Foley's
resignation and calls for House
Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) to
step down.
"The only way you can make
the change that needs to be made
for our country - a new direction
where we're there for the many
and not the few - is to drain the
swamp," said Pelosi, who is in line
to be the nation's first female House
speaker if Democrats ascend to
power.
With Nov. 7 looming, an AP-
Ipsos poll released yesterday found
the majority of likely voters favor-
ing Democrats to win control of the
House and half of likely voters say-
ing recent disclosures of corruption
and scandal in Congress will be
very or extremely important when
they cast their vote.
Republicans are scrambling to
try to stop the political bleeding
that began last week when Foley
resigned amid reports that he sent
sexually explicit communications
to teenage boys who once worked
as House pages. That set off finger-
pointing among House Republican
leaders who were accused of fail-
ing to react quickly when they were
warned of Foley's behavior.
Hastert spurned calls for his res-
ignation from the party's conserva-
tive base while some Republicans
expressed fears that the scandal
could cost the GOP the House.
In Idaho, Republican Rep. Mike
Simpson said he was no longer
confident that Republicans would
retain power, a shift from a week
ago when he was "fairly confident
we were going to keep the major-
ity." Now, he said, it's "a real tos-
sup.
Republicans outside of Wash-
ington, meanwhile, chastised Dem-
ocrats for criticizing House leaders
while ignoring what Republicans
called a long and tawdry history
of Democratic impropriety and sex
scandals.
"What we don't have to do is
allow our friends on the left to lec-
ture us on morality;' former House
Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.)
said at a party fundraiser in South
Carolina. "There's a certain stench
of hypocrisy."
On Capitol Hill, Pelosi expressed
confidence that Democrats would
gain the 15 seats they need to seize
control of the House from Repub-
licans who have ruled for a dozen
years.
Should Democrats win, she
promised they would approve rules
to "break the link between lob-
byists and legislation" and enact
legislation adopting all the recom-
mendations of the bipartisan com-
mission that investigated the Sept.
11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The
party's agenda also includes rais-
ing the minimum wage to $7.25 an
hour and cutting the student loan
interest rate.
SENATE
Continued from page 1A
cies of the Bush Administration
that have lost us jobs and threat-
en our Michigan way of life. I've
been one of the big advocates
for things that increase access
to college."
Bouchard and Stabenow also
used the discussion as a chance
to encourage political participa-
tion by college students.
"Get involved in the system,"
Bouchard said. "The system
won't work otherwise."
Although Bouchard and Sta-
benow agreed on many educa-
tional issues, the event featured
some trash-talking.
In an interview, Bouchard
compared Stabenow to a failing
student at the University.
"If students don't work hard
to get good grades, they're not
going to pass," Bouchard said.
"It's the same with elected offi-
cials, and the current senator
has not done that. It's time to
give somebody else a chance."
"That's what any oppo-
nent says," Stabenow said in
response.
The discussion was moderated
by Charity Nebbe. Nebbe hosts
All Things Considered on Mich-
igan Radio, the local syndicate
of National Public Radio.
It was filmed by a crew from
Michigan Televisionthe Univer-
sity's affiliate of PBS. Michigan
Television plans to broadcast the
discussions tonight at 9 p.m.
SUDAN
Continued from page 1A
faced the threat of death, slavery or
forced recruitment into the army.
Radlmeier helped young refu-
gees leave the U.N. compound,
where conditions were inhospi-
table.
Mickelina Pia Peter, a refugee
who is now is a junior at the Uni-
versity of Colorado, said the refu-
gees would have to line up as early
as 4 a.m. to assure they received
rations of food and water, which
were often insufficient.
"What amazes me is there was a
swimming pool on the U.N. com-
pound, but not enough water for
the refugees," Pia Peter said in an
interview.
The Sudanese youths who sur-
vived the hazardous thousand-mile
journey from Sudan to the Kakuma
camp became known worldwide as
the "lost generation." Their stories
were told in the 2002 documentary
"The Lost Boys of Sudan."
Radlmeier was originally
assigned to the Nairobi mission-
ary and supported it financially as
a teacher at the local community
college, but her mission evolved to
include securing the futures of the
young refugees.
After initially paying herself for
the primary and secondary school-
ing of 27 children, she has worked
to raise money to enroll several
hundred students a year in univer-
sities and trade schools.
By the late 1990s, she was assist-
ing applicants for resettlement by
helping with the interviews and
tests for immigration to the United
States, Canada and Australia.
Funds procured by Radlmeier
have led to the development of a
compound consisting of student
dormitories, a shelter for children
orphaned and infected by AIDS,
two nursery schools and a primary
school in Juja, which is northeast of
Nairobi.
She is now working on her mis-
sion to secure health care and edu-
cation for refugees in east Africa.
In 2005, she sponsored 300 refu-
gees in different levels of school.
But because of cuts in funding,
Radlmeier is struggling to aid the
numerous candidates for relief,
including more than 200 former
child soldiers who have applied for
sponsorship to pursue vocational
training.
Her strongest wish is to raise
money to help 300 refugee girls
to leave the Kakuma camp, where
she said the girls face exploitation;
Radlmeier said orphaned girls at
refugee camps are kept from edu-
cational opportunities and are often
forced into wedlock with already
married men.
Among others to receive the
Wallenberg medal are Miep Gies,
the woman who protected the fami-
ly of Anne Frank; Holocaust author
Elie Wiesel and the Dalai Lama:
Last year, the medal was presented
to Paul Rusesabagina, the man whij
inspired the film "Hotel Rwanda."'
Agents look for negligence
at spinach plants
SA N FRANCISCO (AP) - In took appropriate steps to make sure
opening a criminal investigation their products were safe to eat.
into two produce companies FBI and Food and Drug Admin-
involved in the contaminated istration agents spent 11 hours
spinach outbreak, federal agents Wednesday searching Natural
are following a script first writ- Selection Foods LLC and Growers
ten a decade ago to hold compa- Express, sifting through records
nies responsible for mass food for evidence indicating the spinach
poisoning. producers skirted proper food-han-
In 1996, authorities secured the dling procedures.
first criminal conviction in a food "We are looking more toward
poisoning case when juice-maker the food-safety issue at this point,"
Odwalla Inc. was heavily fined FBI spokesman Joseph Schadler
for tainted apple juice that killed a said yesterday, adding that the
baby. That was followed by a case investigation was in its early stages
against Sara Lee Corp. five years and may or may not lead to crimi-
later, which led to a fine for taint- nal charges. It could also spread to
ed hot dogs and lunch meats that other spinach producers, he said.
killed 15 people. Also yesterday, health officials in
Federal officials do not think Idaho confirmed that-the death of a
anyone deliberately contaminated 2-year-old boy was caused by taint-
the spinach with E. coli, which has ed spinach. Test results showed that
killed two and sickened at least Kyle Allgood was infected with the
190 others. Instead, the probe is same E. coli strain that killed an
focused on whether the companies elderly Wisconsin woman.
SIP
Continued from page 1A
Conservative Party. SCP ran on a
right-leaning platform last spring.
Its key issue was bringing Coca-
Cola products back to campus after
the University cut its contracts with
them.
After the election, several party
leaders bemoaned the decision to use
the word "conservative" in its name,
which may have lost them some votes
on the largely liberal campus.
SLP vows to give students an
option as to where yearly MSA
funding goes. Each year, about $7
comes out of every student's fees to
support MSA. SLP hopes to change
election procedure so that students
who vote in student government
elections could allocate one dollar
of their MSA funds to a student
organization of their choice.
"It would increase voter turnout
and give students more power,"
Fantuzzi said. "Most students are
in at least one student group, and
this way their vote would go to
something tangible."
The party's other priority is to
pressure the University to have
more classes qualify for the race
and ethnicity requirement. Fan-
tuzzi cited classes that seem as
though they should qualify but do
not.
"The requirement is ambiguous
and vague;' Shuster said.
SLP hopes to have eight to 10 peo-
ple run for MSA seats in the Novem-
ber election. The party is adamant
that MSA should not address broad
political issues, like when it urged
the University to suspend its con-
tracts with Coca-Cola last year.
"MSA should not be all up in
students' lives," Shuster said.
Shuster also cited a recent MSA
resolution condemning "Catch an
Illegal Immigrant Day," which
Young Americans for Freedom
plans to hold.
"I don't agree with 'Catch ad
Illegal Immigrant Day,' but I agree
with free speech so I stood up for
it," Shuster said.
MSA President Nicole Stallings,
elected as a member of the long,
dominant Students 4 Michigan
Party agreed with the importance
of focusing on student interests, but
defended MSA's involvement in
broader issues.
"You are obligated to at least
look into dealing with them," Stall.
ings said.
Rice to Iraqi leaders: Settle your differences soon
BAGHDAD (AP) - Secretary of State Con-
doleezza Rice warned Iraqi leaders yesterday they
have limited time to settle their differences and that
the escalating waves of violence are intolerable.
On a visit five weeks before congressional
elections in the U.S., Rice also insisted the Bush
administration has been honest with Americans
about the costs and stakes in Iraq.
Administration officials recently have found
themselves defending their conduct of the war,
and Rice's remarks reflected the political toll for
the White House from an unpopular conflict.
"This is really hard going,' Rice told reporters
during her stop in the Iraqi capital. "Not only do
I believe that the president has been clear with the
American people that this is a struggle, he's been
clear with the American people why he thinks it's
a struggle that needs to be waged."
After meetings in the Mideast with Arab and
Israeli leaders, the top U.S. diplomat came to Iraq
to tell sometimes squabbling leaders they have a
short window to resolve disputes that she said are
spurring sectarian and insurgent violence.
While killings among Iraqis have not abated,
American casualties also have spiked recently.
Car bombs killed four people and wounded 28
in Baghdad yesterday. At least 23 U.S. soldiers have
died since Saturday; most were in Baghdad amid a
massive security sweep by U.S. and Iraqi forces.
Rice said the U.S. role is "to support all the
parties and indeed to press all the parties to work
toward that resolution quickly because obviously
the security situation is not one that can be toler-
ated and it is not one that is being helped by politi-
cal inaction"
In a series of meetings with leaders represent'
ing most ethnic and religious factions, Rice deliv
ered a blunt message about how Americans do not
see the history behind ethnic and sectarian splits,
said a senior State Department official present at
the sessions.
The official, who spoke on condition of ano
nymity because the meetings were confidential
said Rice also said Americans need to see Iraqis
working together rather than killing one another.
Rice met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
and other officials as the sectarian cycle of revenge
killings between Shiites and Sunnis threatened to
undermine his government. Shiite and Sunni par'
ties in al-Maliki's coalition accuse each other of
backing militias.