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WORLD BRIEFS
Senate Democrats question
administration's Iraq plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A top
Democrat accused the Bush
administration Wednesday of
undertaking a massive effort to
rebuild Iraq without the blessing
of the American people as the
White House’s SB7 billion plan to
resurrect that country hit more
turbulence in Congress.
Republican lawmakers voiced
their own doubts over the lack of
foreign contributions. But gener
ally, they rallied behind Vice
President Dick Cheney and other
administration officials who
fanned out across Capitol Hill to
seek support for the proposal.
Defense Secretary Donald H.
Rumsfeld told the Senate
Appropriations Committee on
Wednesday that President Bushs
proposal, which includes $20.3
billion to rebuild Iraq’s govern
ment and economy, was a prudent
investment in international secu
rity.
No Democrat challenged that,
and most are likely to support the
final bill, which includes money
for Afghanistan. But Democrats
raised numerous questions about
the Iraqi reconstruction portion of
the plan.
In one exchange, the commit
tee’s top Democrat, Sen. Robert
Byrd of West Virginia, repeatedly
asked Rumsfeld when the admin
istration had received a public
mandate for the Iraqi reconstruc
tion effort.
Davis: Calif, will defy ruling
on "do-not-call" registry
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -
California will move forward with
its own “do-not-call” list, despite a
federal court ruling this week that
favored telemarketers by striking
down a national registry, Gov.
Gray Davis said Wednesday.
In 2001, state lawmakers
approved a bill to create a
statewide “do-not-call” list, but the
state has never compiled the list,
waiting instead for the federal reg
istry to go into effect.
That federal registry was struck
down Tuesday by U.S. District
Judge Lee R. West in Oklahoma
City, who ruled that the Federal
Trade Commission overstepped its
authority in creating a national
“do-not-call” list. The registry was
challenged by the telemarketing
industry.
More than 50 million people
asked to be put on the list, which
would have taken affect Oct. 1.
Davis was preparing to sign a
bill that would have aligned
California’s “do-not-call” list with
the federal registry but held off
after the ruling. He said the state
will begin creating its own registry
immediately, which will be operat
ed by the attorney general’s office.
Texas Senate adopts GOP
friendly redistricting map
AUSTIN, Texas - After four
turbulent months, three special
legislative sessions and two
Democratic walkouts, both houses
of the Republican-controlled
Legislature have adopted redis
tricting plans that could give the
GOP control of Texas’ congres
sional delegation.
Some obstacles to final passage
remain, but the worst of the
squabbling among lawmakers in
the Lone Star State appears to be
over in what has amounted to a
crushing defeat for Democrats.
The Senate gave final approval
to its redistricting legislation
Wednesday in an 18-12 vote most
ly along party lines. The House
adopted its own map last week.
Negotiators from both houses
still have to work out their differ
ences before the new map
becomes a reality. And the
Democrats have vowed to sue.
Nevertheless, the Senate’s
approval of the legislation removes
a major hurdle in the GOP’s effort
to redraw Texas’ congressional dis
tricts in their favor —a high
stakes battle with national impli
cations.
CALENDAR
Today
7 p.m. The Union of
Students Speaking Russian will
conduct its first meeting in 402
Dey Hall. The group is open to
students interested in the Russian
language and culture.
8 p.m. A program addressing
the impact of news coverage on
the psyche of children and adoles
cents will take place at the Friday
Center.
The program will begin with a
live broadcast of Tom Brokaw
from the 92nd Street Y in New
York City, which will be followed
by a local panel featuring profes
sors in the UNC School of
Journalism and Mass
Communication. The program is
free of charge.
Compiled.from
staff and wire reports.
Council to rethink debate with UNC
Many unhappy
with recent talks
BY LAUREN SLOCUM
AND JOHN FRANK
STAFF WRITERS
Almost a month has passed
since the Chapel Hill Town Council
approved UNC’s controversial
chiller plant addition to the Cobb
parking deck.
“Its so much fun. ... (People) come togetherfor just a wacky,
zany, fun event." john paulwomble , ALLIANCE OF AIDS SERVICES-CAROLINA
1
rat- -at g..
*V '* • -TWiiapr
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SARA LONGENECKER
Drag queens John Paul Womble (left) and Patrick Hawker run a ’7os-themed drag bingo game Sept. 13,
hosted by the Eno River Unitarian Fellowship. Below: Tom Pham ("Ho She Man") changes costumes.
Drag queens dress up
to take down disease
Money from event assists people living with HIV/AIDS
BY STEPHANIE M. HORVATH
SENIOR WRITER
DURHAM About 230 peo
ple stood in the Eno River
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
hall holding ink stamps high
above their heads. They were tak
ing the Drag Bingo Night pledge,
led by Betty Ford, a blond drag
queen in a mini-dress.
“I, state your name, do
solemnly swear that I am here to
help people living with HIV and
AIDS,” she said, the crowd
repeating her words. “And I fur
ther swear that bingo is just a
game, but I will continue to play
drag bingo until this horrible epi
demic is over.... Play bingo!”
The crowd cheered, and anoth
er Drag Bingo Night began run
by drag queens and fueled by gay
pride and light sexual innuendo.
Drag queens, otherwise known
as BVDs, or Bingo Verifying Divas
with names such as Tessa
Osterone and Yoko Homo,
roamed the room in tight dresses
and platform shoes. Winners
were asked their names, home
Voting forms in short supply
State elections hoard blames printer
BY BRIAN HUDSON
STAFF WRITER
Student government’s recent
drive to register thousands of stu
dent voters has been stymied by a
shortage of the most important
element: the registration forms.
Since July, student government
officials have been petitioning the
state Board of Elections at least
once a week for several thousand
forms, said Student Body-
President Matt Tepper.
“Supposedly there is an error
with their printer,” he said. “It’s
been this constant, ridiculously dif
ficult time to get these forms.”
Linda Mathis, an administrative
assistant with the state board, said
the forms are not available because
of problems with the printing com
pany that is under state contract.
“Our office does not house the
forms. They come from a printer in
Roanoke, Virginia,” she said. “Once
the request comes here, it goes to
the printer.”
She said problems with a newly
installed printer, difficulties with
paper and a high demand for the
forms have drained the board’s
supply of voter registration forms.
Top News
While tensions have cooled,
Town Council members are work
ing to make sure they don’t get put
in a similar predicament again.
At Monday night’s council meet
ing, members expressed dissatis
faction about the process for
reviewing changes to the
University’s Development Plan.
Council members discussed a
petition to give the town more
information about changes and
time to review them by extending
towns and sexual orientations.
The event happens about eight
Saturday nights per year. It bene
fits the Alliance of AIDS Services-
Carolina, which sponsors the
bingo nights and provides AIDS
victims with resources.
On Sept. 13, there were only a
dozen empty seats in the 250-seat
hall. Betty started the first game:
“We’re going to play straight
bingo. Unlike me. Straight.”
Some lesbians sitting together
yelled out in protest.
“Girls, get over it,” Betty said.
“We know you’re lesbians, and
that’s OK. If there was a lesbian
bingo, then we’d play it.”
Drag bingo attracts a diverse
crowd. School-age children
played alongside senior citizens,
and Gene R. Schrecengost, bingo
committee chairman, estimated
that 40 percent to 50 percent of
the Sept 13 audience was straight.
“It’s so much fun. I mean, you
get a great cross section of people,"
said John Paul Womble, the AIDS
alliances director of development.
“And they come together for just a
Although student government
recently received 4,000 forms
from the Orange County Board of
Elections, Tepper said, the forms
already- have been distributed to
members of the freshman class.
The boards in Durham County
and Orange County are out of
forms, but Tepper said the student
voter registration effort still
requires about 6,000 additional
forms.
After weeks of petitioning the
state elections board for more
forms, Tepper contacted UNC’s
School of Law and the American
Civil Liberties Union for help. “I
made lots of calls ... to try to get
advice on what to do, on what the
next course of action should be,” he
said.
In response to the demand for
voter registration forms, the state
board sent to student government
forms that usually are used for
mailing purposes.
“They can be used equally,”
Mathis said.
But even though the mailing
forms can be intermixed with voter
registration forms, the identifying
numbers on the forms must be
the 90-day review period and by
redefining which projects go before
the council for evaluation.
“The petition suggests that 90
days is insufficient,” said Roger
Waldon, town planning director.
He said the current period does
n’t allow enough time to look at
something that could have a major
effect on the town.
The review period is set by the
Office and Institutional 4 zoning
ordinance, which was created in
SB
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wacky, zany, fun event.”
At the start of the night, Betty
established the crowd members'
identities. “Who are my straight
people?” A loud cheer went up
from people scattered around
the room. “My lesbians?”
Another cheer. “My gay boys?”
More cheers.
Robin Perron, a Raleigh resi
dent, attended with 20 friends.
SEE DRAG BINGO, PAGE 11
changed.
Because so many student groups
are helping in the push to register
student voters, Tepper said, cor
recting each form by hand could
cause confusion.
The Residence Hall Association,
the Black Student Movement and
the Campus Y are three of the many
groups participating in the drive.
Gene Nichol, dean of the law
school, said that he is aware of the
problem but that he has not yet
been consulted for any legal advice.
Nichol, w-ho has been involved
with the drive to register students,
said it is important to supply stu
dents who want to register to vote
with the necessary forms.
“We have a huge problem in the
United States with people not par
ticipating in the electoral process,”
he said.
“Certainly, we should be pre
senting no barriers.”
Tepper said student government
officials will continue to seek prop
er voting forms.
“We are going to keep pressur
ing the Board of Elections until
they fix the problem with their
printer and send us the forms."
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2003
July 2001 at the urging of the
University during the negotiations
about the Development Plan.
In some ways, UNC officials
agree, the process needs to be
streamlined, but not if the town
just is looking for more authority.
“This was the first time we sub
mitted changes,” said Bruce
Runberg, UNC associate vice chan
cellor for planning and construc
tion.
“So there are some things that
ANALYSIS
Debate will test
Clark s viability
Candidate needs to flesh out platform
BY KATHRYN ROEBUCK
STAFF WRITER
Although a recent poll showed
retired Gen. Wesley Clark tied with
President Bush and leading the
nine other Democratic presidential
candidates, experts say his growing
popularity depends on his per
formance in the first full
Democratic candidate debate.
Clark had not yet laid out a plat
form for the presidency before he
topped Bush 49 percent to 46 per
cent in a CNN-USA Todav-Gallup
poll, conducted between Friday
and Sunday and released Tuesday.
All 10 Democratic hopefuls will
meet for the first time at 4 p.m.
today in New York City to debate
the issues live on CNBC. Clark will
be in attendance and is expected to
expound on his platform.
William Benoit, professor of
communications at the University
of Missouri-Columbia, said that
although voters might be ready for
anew face in the White House,
they could change their minds
after hearing Clark's stance on
major issues.
“If people have been having
doubts about Bush and his actions
Isabel squashes
state s agriculture
BY AARON WALLACE
STAFF WRITER
Hurricane Isabel wreaked havoc
on North Carolina’s crops last week,
causing more than $125 million in
damage, according to initial reports
from 24 northeastern counties.
In a press release Tuesday, the
N.C. Department of Agriculture &
Consumer Services stated that
eight of the state’s top 10 cotton
and peanut-producing counties
were in Isabel’s path of destruction.
Com, soybeans and tobacco were
among the crops that sustained sig
nificant damage —a heavy burden
heaped on a state already suffering
from an ailing economy and the dis
astrous effects of two prior hurri
canes and a drought.
The consequences are more
severe in light of the fact that agri
culture accounts for $62.6 billion
in state revenue annually.
TRASHY TREASURES
DTH/KATHY SHUPING
Kevin Wolfe restores Wednesday a stereo cabinet from
the 1950s he found in the trash. Wolfe worked on the
cabinet outside his apartment on North Blount
Street in Raleigh. A 2000 N.C. State University graduate,
Wolfe is spending some down time while he looks for a job.
the town and University need to
address ... or ‘tweak,’ as Mayor
Kevin Foy has put it.”
The original zoning rules state
that the University can make
minor changes with approval from
town staff and that the council only
would be involved in major
changes.
Runberg said that subjectivity
purposely was built into the ordi-
SEE DEVELOPMENT, PAGE 11
with the United Nations, they may
look at Clark as the four-star gen
eral, feel relieved and jump on
his bandwagon,” he said.
“But voters don’t have a lot of
knowledge about him. After the
debate on Thursday, the people will
learn some positives and negatives
that may drop his support level.”
Benoit said he would not be sur
prised if Clark fell to the middle of
the Democratic field after voters
hear his stances on controversial
issues such as gun control and pri
vate school vouchers.
Bert Rockman, director of Ohio
State University’s School of Public
Policy and Management, compared
Clark to former President Dwight
Eisenhower in the 1952 election.
“Clark has the similarities of
Eisenhower in that his appeal has
something to do with credibility,
stature and personality,” he said.
“His popularity will depend on
whether or not he thinks quickly
on his feet and if he says the right
thing without alienating people.”
The poll is not necessarily an
accurate description of Clark’s
SEE CLARK, PAGE 11
The agriculture industry is
North Carolina's leading enter
prise, accounting for more than 20
percent of the state’s work force.
Curtis Byrun, a farmer from
Perquimans County, said he knows
the ramifications of Isabel all too
well. “This is going to put me out of
the farming business,” he said.
“Whatever yield potential I had
is less than half what it was n0w....
I suffered about a $200,000 loss
from (Hurricanes) Dennis, Floyd
and Irene and last year (lost)
$150,000 in the drought. There’s
nothing for collateral anymore.”
Dick Tlmnell, who owns Tunnell
Farms in Swan Quarter, said the
flooding caused by Isabel was the
worst he can remember.
“We had a tidal surge (that)
exceeded anyone’s memory, 2 to 5
SEE AGRICULTURE, PAGE 11
3