10 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2004 YDs focus on door-to-door campaigning Hope to sway locals in state election BY MARK PUENTE STAFF WRITER The UNC Young Democrats have claimed that their grassroots actions helped the N.C. General Assembly to be split evenly between Democrats and Republicans after the 2002 election. And the group is attempting to have a major influence on this year’s state elections by continuing those efforts this weekend. In the waning days before the 2002 election, YD members volun teered 200 hours to the campaign of Democratic candidate Alice Bordsen, who was seeking a legis lative seat in Alamance County. The group pounded the pave ment, hoping to turn out voter support, and Bordsen won by 97 votes. “They are just as likely responsi ble as any other group that helped influence the vote count,” Bordsen said. “There is nothing that isn’t crucial in a close election.” Tom Jensen, YD’s party affairs director, said that if it wasn’t for the group’s efforts, the General Assembly would be controlled by Republicans. “If we influenced a half of a vote for each hour we spent there, then it made a differ ence,” Jensen said. The 300-member group has had daily campaign events, including registration drives, phone bank ing and canvassing neighbor hoods, planned since the first day of classes in August. “Our ‘63 Days of Campaigning’ has focused on going off campus for the Democratic Party,” Jensen said. “On every doorstep we pro vide the information that voters need.” Going door to door is the most beneficial task that college stu dents perform during an election, Bordsen said. Jensen said that by Nov. 2, the group will have logged about 10,000 volunteer hours on differ ent campaigns. —HI — TODAY AT CAROLINA Thursday, October 21 Men’s Tennis ITA Region Indoor Championships All Day - Cone Kenfield Tennis Center Students & Faculty Admitted FREE w/ID! - SPORTS SHORTS FUN, EXCITING AND EXHILARATING NOW QUALIFIES AS A JOB DESCRIPTION. Bright? Outgoing? Energetic? Perfect. How about using your talents to help spread the word about Red Bull? We’re looking for personable and highly motivated people to join the Chapel Hill Red Bull Mobile Energy Team. Your part-time job will be to hit the streets delivering energy wherever it’s needed. At work, at school, at the gym, on the road, you’ll go anywhere and everywhere in search of people who might be tired and in need of energy. A couple of rules. You should be at least 18, have a good driving record and be able to work flexible hours, including weekends and the occasional evening. Bilingual would be a plus, but most importantly you should be charming and motivated. If this sounds like fun, you can download an application at www.recruit.redbullmet.com. Red Bull ENERGY DRINK And local politicians have taken notice of the group’s hard work and influence and are eager to work with YD. Carlos Monje, spokesman for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Erskine Bowles, said that the group has mobilized voters during the past few months, and that many YDs have offered to be interns. “College students are the most active and energized volunteers,” he said. “We have a great partner ship with the Young Democrats.” Working with campaigns affords students an opportunity to see the democratic process firsthand. “There is no better way to learn,” Bordsen said. “They provide a great service to us.” Yet a larger college chapter, the College Democrats at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, isn’t as actively involved in statewide campaigns as is the UNC chapter. “We are not focusing on local races,” said Libby Benton, vice chairwoman of the chapter. “We are canvassing student areas, phone banking and having a hot dog-eating contest.” On a higher level, the Democratic National Committee said college students are the most valuable tool in any campaign because of their energy. “This year has been the most successful ever for college students involved in campaigns,” said Brian Richardson, a DNC spokesman. “Tens of thousands have become active on campuses this year.” Richardson said the Democratic Party is counting on its student chapters to make a difference in key battleground states, such as Florida and Ohio, by making sure that voters get to the polls. “They play an integral part,” he said. “Young people are fed up, and they decided to take action.” Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu. Former analyst criticizes Bush Says president misuses intelligence BY MEGAN MCSWAIN STAFF WRITER Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern has been traveling around the country “to spread a little truth around.” McGovern, who is speaking out along with other members of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, presented his views of the use of intelligence by the Bush administration Wednesday night to a casual crowd gathered in the Hanes Art Center Auditorium. He said the CIA was started for two main reasons: to have a central place for intelligence and to have a branch of the government that would “tell it like it is.” In the last few years, McGovern said he and his colleagues in the VIPS have felt the morals of the system they previously worked for have not been upheld. “We’ve been there and done that and tend to be upset when we see intelligence messed with,” he said. When speaking about the issues surrounding the invasion of Iraq, McGovern said intelligence was bad and swayed by politics. “(But) intelligence had abso lutely nothing to do with the pres ident’s decision to invade Iraq,” he insisted. McGovern said the intelligence agencies were not initially asked about the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. And when they were, he said it was made clear that the evidence should support a claim previous ly made by Vice President Dick Students raise voices in mock election BY BRIANNA BISHOP STAFF WRITER Although many are under the legal voting age, students in the Orange County School district can still put forth their political opin ions on the election this year. Students in the International Baccalaureate program at Cedar Ridge High School have developed a mock election designed to inform students about candidates and the election process. The mock election will be avail able to all 11 schools in the county. 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News Cheney that Saddam Hussein had begun rebuilding nuclear weapons programs. McGovern said evidence like this, and a false report that Iraq was trying to buy uranium, is what the administration used to con vince Congress to approve the dec laration ofwar. “What happened to the intel ligence process and the folks run ning it now is outrageous, but not half as outrageous as what hap pened to our constitution,” he said. One audience member brought up the conspiracy theory that the federal government was aware of the Sept 11,2001, terrorist attacks before they occurred. McGovern was quick to assert that he did not believe in this con spiracy theory but thinks there was not enough attention paid to the intelligence. But he did not discredit the idea that Bush might have used the Sept. 11 attacks as a catalyst to move forward with an invasion of Iraq. “It was an incredibly cynical manipulation of the trauma we all felt,” he said. He added that the 9/11 Commission found there were so many people to blame that it would be better to not blame any one and concluded that Sept. 11 was unavoidable. McGovern also said he thinks the commission should have placed blame. He said that if the informa tion the CIA director possessed had The program includes presenta tions by IB students and the chance to cast a mock vote on the Internet. The ballot offers choices for president, state governor, state lieutenant governor, U.S. senator and U.S. representative. “It’s a great learning opportunity for the students,” said Ryan Miller, the district’s instructional technol ogy coordinator. “It’s good to get them thinking about the democratic process and the country we live in.” Students in the IB program are required to complete 150 hours of a service learning program called . b> : fig\ shbhHl *8! ■ ft DTH/BRADY NASH Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern speaks Wednesday night in Hanes Art Center about the decision-making process leading up to the war in Iraq. been noticed, the attacks could have been avoided. McGovern also criticized the press for not providing the public with adequate information. International intelligence con cerning America has been leaked to news agencies and has been printed in other countries’ media, but not in the United States, he said. “I think it is important that kids learn that if they say something, they can make a difference. ...It can he implemented.” HEATHER MANDELKEHR, STUDENT Creativity, Action and Service. The mock elections will help ful fill hours for the creativity aspect of the requirement, said Heather Mandelkehr, a junior IB student. The IB students will go to the county next week to present information about the elections and candi dates, said Abi Whitling, a junior IB student. The presentations will be non partisan. After the presentations, she said students can vote online for candidates of their choice at http://research.zarca.com/clients/ Orange/survey.aspx?sid=ll. When students log in to vote, they will be sent to different pages, depending on the grade level they choose, Miller said. The site first prompts students to choose their school from a list. Students are then asked to pick their grade level, age, gender and history teacher before they vote. The results of the elections will be posted on the Web site. After the mock election ends CREATE YOUR OWN UNIQUE, SCARY, SEXY, OR A • CONICAL HALLOWEEN COSTUMES from our collection of qently-used clothing and mHHf accessories for men, women, and children. Buy 1 piece of clothing, get one FREEI'I 11 jl (equal or lesser value, SIO.OO limit) Sm ft * Tues-Fri 10 AM-6 PM ... , _ ... . Sat 10 AM-4 PM Club Novo promotes and provides opportunities for individuals with mental illness to lead meaningful and 3 productive lives of their choice in the community. 103 C West a,n St ' Carrboro www.clubnovashop.com I vm \ experiences k? kj KfljlA doms belong on / Ji§|i \ \ your resume Book \ I Concun moHko $609 \ J 5 nights ad the Acqasol Hotel your \ I trip | fnar/OU, Bahama/ $559 now! 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Ashley Summers, a junior in the IB program, said it is important to get students involved. “I think that with this election, so many young people are getting involved,” Summers said. She added that the program teaches kids that they do not have to be influenced by their parents’ political views. The program hopes to clear up misconceptions among younger students, Mandelkehr said. “I think it is important that kids learn that if they say something, they can make a difference,” she said. “If we start this now, they can see how if they make a decision, it can be implemented.” Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.