The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.cam Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - 3A The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS LANSING, Mich. Michigan tax amnesty proposal passes state House People who owe back state taxes could be let off the hook under an amnesty proposal that advanced yesterday in the Michigan Legisla- ture, part of a plan aimed at balanc- ing the state budget. The Democtatic-led House passed a bill that would set up a window - May 15 through June 30 - for delinquent taxpayers to pay off their debts without criminal or civil penalty from the state trea- surer. The program would apply to taxes due before the end of 2009. The bill passed 58-49 mostly along party lines. It now returns to the Republican-led Senate, which passed a version of a tax amnesty plan in 2009. The two chambers will have to resolve differences between their versions for tax amnesty to become part of the state's overall budget solution. The tax amnesty plan could raise about $60 million to help offset a projected deficit of $484 million in the budget year starting Oct. 1. WASHINGTON First lady enters midterm politics Michelle Obama is jumping into the midterm political fray in a big. way: She'll headline at least nine fundraisers in six states next month for endangered Democrats. That's a fairly big commitment for a first lady who's always said she's not a political animal, but the White House insists Mrs. Obama is eager to get out there. ' And it's no surprise that the Democrats are anxious to use the first lady's star power: Polls show she's more popular than her hus- band, President Barack Obama. Among those Mrs. Obama will campaign for is Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, who passed up a chance to appear with the president on Labor Day in Milwaukee. Fein- gold, in a tough re-election fight and slightly behind his opponent in spending, instead opted to attend a parade in his hometown about 60 miles away. He's also not expected attend the president's rally in Madison next week because the Senate will be in session. * NEW YORK Clinton unveils nutrition, pollution programs Secretary of State Hillary Rod- ham Clinton is unveiling programs to combat child hunger and reduce pollution from indoor stoves that causes diseases, especially in poor- er countries. In New York yesterday, Clinton helped launch a program to address chronic malnutrition blamed for 3.5 million maternal and child deaths a year. The program is co-sponsored by the Irish government and focus- es on the first 1,000 days of a child's life, during which nutrition is criti- cal to mental and physical develop- ment. Later yesterday, Clinton is to announce a U.S. contribution to the Global Alliance for Clean Cook- stoves that promotes the use of leaner and more efficient cooking materials. Exposure to pollution from traditional indoor stoves and fires causes diseases that kill nearly 2 million in the developing world annually, mostly children and young women. PARIS Al-Qaida claims kidnapping of five AI-Qaida's North Africa branch has claimed responsibility for kid- papping five French nationals near 4uranium mine deep in the desert of the African nation of Niger, an audio message broadcast yesterday said. In the recording broadcast by the Arabic news channel al-Jazeera, a voice claiming to represent al- Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb said the group would issue its demands to the French government shortly. "It was not a real surprise to learn that al-Qaida was at the ori- gin" of the kidnapping, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouch- ner told journalists at the United Nations in New York. "Now that it's certain, we will continue - the French, their allies, Israel - to put every effort into obtaining their freedom." -Compiled from Daily wire reports 'Don't ask, don't tell' repeal fails in Senate Harry Reid says the ban will be tackled again during lame- duck session WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked an effort by Democrats and the White House to lift the ban on gays from serving openly in the mili- tary, voting unanimously against advancing a major defense policy bill that included the provision. The mostly partisan vote dealt a major blow to gay rights groups who saw the legislation as their best hope, at least in the short term, for repeal of the 17-year-old law known as "don't ask, don't tell." If Democrats lose seats in the upcoming congressional elections this fall, as many expect, repeal- ing the ban could prove even more difficult - if not impossible - next year. With that scenario looming, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that a lame-duck session was being planned and that lifting the ban would be taken up then. The episode upset advocates who believe that neither President Barack Obama nor Reid did enough to see the measure through. "The whole thing is a political train wreck," said Richard Socari- des, a White House adviser on gay rights during the Clinton adminis- tration. Democrats included the repeal provision in a $726 billion defense policy bill, which authorizes a pay raise for the troops among other popular programs. In a deal bro- kered with the White House, the measure would have overturned the 1993 law banning openly gay service only after a Pentagon review and certification from the president that lifting the ban wouldn't hurt troop morale. But with little time left for debate before the November ballot, the bill languished on the Senate calendar until gay rights groups, backed by pop star Lady Gaga, began an aggressive push to turn it into an election issue. Earlier this month a federal judge in Los Angeles declared the ban an unconstitutional violation of the due process and free speech rights of gays and lesbians. The decision was thethird federal court ruling since July to assert that stat- utory limits on the rights of gays and lesbians were unconstitutional. Reid agreed to force a vote on the bill this week and limit debate, despite Republican objections. A Nevada Democrat in a tight race of his own this fall, he also pledged to use the defense bill as a vehicle for an immigration proposal that would enable young people to qualify for U.S. citizenship if they joined the military. Republicans alleged that Reid was using the defense bill to score political points with the Demo- cratic base. "This is not a serious exercise. It's a show," said Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Democrats countered that the bill merely reflects public opinion. Recent polls suggest that a major- ity of Americans think the ban on gays in the military should be over- turned. "We're going to fight for this," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Armed Services Committee. But at least for now, the ques- tion of how and when to change the policy returns to the Penta- gon, which had set a December deadline to complete a study of the effects of lifting the ban. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that he supports Obama's goal of repeal, but Gates made it clear he thought the process should move PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAI Military service men and women stand together after they handcuffed themselves tothe fence outside the White House in Washington during a protest for gay rights in April 2010. gradually. It is not clear how quickly the Pentagon might make its own rec- ommendations. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell declined to comment Tuesday on what he called "an internal procedural matter for the Senate." Initially, advocates had thought that Democrats might win the 60 votes needed to overcome GOP objections and advance the bill. Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Maine Republican, was seen as a crucial vote because she supports overturning the ban. But Collins ultimately sided with her GOP colleagues in argu- ing that the bill shouldn't advance because Republicans weren't given sufficient chance to offer amend- ments to the wide-ranging policy bill. Democrats also failed to keep all of their party members in line. Democratic Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, both of Arkansas, voted with Republicans to scuttle the bill. The vote was 56-43, four short of the 60 required to advance under Senate rules. Lincoln said she objected to the limits on debate and wanted a chance to offer amendments that would benefit her state. In a state- ment, Pryor said the bill deserved more serious debate than was being allowed. "There needs to be a genuine and honest effort to craft a defense bill that senators from both par- ties can support, because support- ing our troops should not ever be a partisan issue," he said. When itbecame clear that Dem- ocrats would lose, Reid cast his own vote in opposition as a proce- dural tactic. Under Senate rules, doing so enabled him to revive the bill. Conservative groups hailed the vote as a victory for the troops. "At least for now they will not be used to advance aradical social agenda," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. An estimated 13,000 people have been discharged under the law since its inception in 1993. Although most dismissals have resulted from gay service mem- bers outing themselves, gay rights' groups say it has been used by vin- dictive co-workers to drum out troops who never made their sexu- ality an issue. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks at United Nations headquarters on Tuesday, Sept. 21 2010. Ah-m adinejadblames capitalism for poverty At U.N. summit, German chancellor defends markets UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Iran's president yesterday pre- dicted the defeat of capitalism and blamed global big business for the suffering of millions, but Germany's chancellor said mar- ket economies were key to lifting the world's least developed coun- tries out of poverty. The clash of visions at the U.N. anti-poverty summit drew a line under the stark differences on easing the misery of the one bil- lion people living on less than $1.25 a day. More than 140 presidents, prime ministers and kings are attending the three-day summit which started Monday to assess and spur on achievement of U.N. targets set by world leaders in 2000. The plan called for an intensive global campaign to ease poverty, disease and inequalities between rich and poor by 2015. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, however, never mentioned the Millennium Development Goals in his speech to the 192-member General Assembly. Instead, he took aim at capital- ism and called for the overhaul of "undemocratic and unjust" global decision-making bod- ies, which are dominated by the United States and other West- ern powers. While Ahmadinejad didn't single out any country, he said world leaders, thinkers and global reformers should "spare no effort" to make practical plans for a new world order - reform of international economic and political institutions. "It is my firm belief that in the new millennium, we need to revert to the divine mindset... based on the justice-seeking nature of mankind, and on the monotheistic world view...," the Iranian leader said in a brief speech intertwining philoso- phy and religion with the cur- rent state of the world. "Now that the discriminatory order of capitalism and the hegemonic approaches are facing defeat." Ahmadinejad proposed that the United Nations name the coming 10 years "the decade for the joint global governance." Soon afterward, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the world's fourth-largest economic power, took an opposite tack, likely speaking for the rest of the capitalist world. Stressing that "the primary responsibility for development lies with the governments of the developing countries," she said the key to economic prosperity was good governance and a flour- ishing capitalist economy. "The countries themselves must promote the development of a market economy...for without self-sustaining economic growth developing countries will find the road out of poverty and hunger too steep to travel," Merkel said. The German leader said inter- national assistance can't sub- stitute for domestic resources, warned that "development aid cannot continue indefinitely" and declared that "support for good governance is as important as aid itself." Oxfam, one of the world's most respect aid organizations, slammed Merkel's address. Spokeswoman Emma Seery said more had been expected from the Germans, who "failed to explain how they will meet their prom- ises of aid to poor countries, and sidestepped their responsibility to make aid work by laying this at the door of the poorest coun- tries." Seery also chided the German leader for not joining with France and Spain in calling for a sMall tax on financial transactions that would go to meet develop- ment needs of poor countries. "Whether Germany can still claim to be a development leader is now questionable," she said in an unusually blunt assessment of a government leader's address. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said the world is "on track" to cut extreme poverty by half, the No. 1 goal, though some critics say it's mainly because of the big strides in China and India. Many recent reports show that the world's poorest coun- tries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, have made little progress in eradicating poverty. And in Africa, Asia and Latin America there also has been a lack of progress in meeting other key goals: reducing mother and child deaths, increasing the num- ber of people with access to basic sanitation, and promoting wom- en's equality. Ban is expected to launch a new initiative Wednes- day to spur action on improving the lot of women and children. Pittsburgh police sued by ACLU over post-G-20 conduct ACLU: police used onto the lawns of the University of Pittsburgh'sCathedral of Learn- unlawful protocol ing," the lawsuit said. Police then surrounded about 100 people, during protest made them lie down, handcuffed them and "falsely charged them PITTSBURGH (AP) - City with failure to disperse and disor- police wrongly arrested 25 peo- derly conduct," the lawsuit said. ple - and used unnecessary force The suit targetsthe city, Harper, against some - to "punish" them Donaldson and 15 officers iden- for participating in or being near tified as those who arrested the an anti-police brutality protest plaintiffs, all of whom were heldby after the Group of 20 summit police for six to 20 hours, the law- ended in the city last year, the suit contends. American Civil Liberties Union The lawsuit asks a federal judge said in alawsuit. to declare that the plaintiffs' con- The ACLU filed a 42-page fed- stitutional rightsawere violated and eral lawsuit yesterday alleging to award damages for false arrest police created most of the problems and emotional distress. themselves by surrounding about It also asks the judge to declare 100 people with officers in riot gear Pennsylvania's "failure to disperse" and then ordering them to disperse. statute unconstitutional. The law Many who tried to leave couldn't allows officers to declare an assem- and were instead pingponged bly unlawful if police see at least between groups of advancing police, three people engaged in "disorderly the ACLU said. Five people not even conduct," Walczak said. at the protest were arrested blocks The Pittsburgh summit brought away, the ACLU contends. thousands of protesters to Pitts- "It appears that these police burgh, including anarchists who were simply looking for anybody responded to calls to disperse by who was young and maybe looked rolling trash bins, throwing rocks like a demonstrator and then and breaking windows. Many rounded them up," Witold "Vic" protesters condemned the harsh Walezak, the ACLU's legal direc- law enforcement response that tor in Pennsylvania, said at a news followed, which included pep- conference yesterday. per spray canisters, rubber bul- The ACLU announced the law- lets, flash-bang grenades and huge suit at a plaza near the University of speakers emitting earsplittingly Pittsburgh campus where the pro- loud sirens. test was staged on Sept. 25, 2009. One of the plaintiffs, Jason Mun- "When people see video of ley, 31, of Pittsburgh, said he wasn't peaceful demonstrations in places part of the Pitt protest but stopped like Russia and Iran where the to give police "the middle finger" police all of a sudden declare the on his way to a friend's house. assembly to be unlawful and then Munley said he did that because he come in and arrest everybody ... we disagreed with police tactics at the recoil in horror and say, 'It's just G-20, and was shot with pepper free speech, it's just peaceful dem- spray pellets and arrested. onstrations. Thank goodness that Ben Tabas, 20, was aPittstudent can't and doesn't happen in this who was recording the protest on country,"' Walczak said. video. He said he tried to disperse "Well, I'm sorry to advise you but was hemmed in by police and that in fact it does happen in this arrested. He told officers he was country and it did happen in the a diabetic, but wasn't allowed to city of Pittsburgh." access his medication and in jail Pittsburgh police spokeswoman was given a type of insulin not pre- Diane Richard relayed a copy of scribed byhis doctor. the lawsuit to the city's law depart- Casey Brander, a 21-year-old ment, which did not immediately student at nearby Carnegie Mel- comment on it. An attorney for the lon University, walked over with a Fraternal Order of Police, which friend to check out the protest and typically represents individual a concert before it. Brander said officers in such lawsuits, did not she tried to leave but kept being immediately comment on the suit. turned back by police in riot gear. The lawsuit says police Chief "The police didn't say anything, NateHarper andDeputyChiefPaul they just marched and beat their Donaldson sent police to declare shields and had this very intimi- the gathering illegal after seeing a dating presence," Brander said. protest advertisement that dispar- One officer called her his "girl- aged police with an expletive. friend" and other officers told "Instead of providing a way for some women being arrested that people to comply with the disper- they were "hot" said Brander, who sal order, police funneled everyone was held for 19 hours.