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Show 1 Monday, Sept. 25,2005 797-1769 statesman@cc.usu.edu People Today's Issue i Dedications "71*7 Today is Monday, Sept. 25, 2006. * Today's issue of The Utah Statesman is published especially for Tawni Hill, a junior majoring in Civil Engineering from South Jordan. Clarifications And Correction$^ig$W~] The policy of The Utah Statesman is to correct any error made as soon as possible. If you find something you would like clarified or find unfair, please contact the editor at 797-1762 or TSC 105. National Briefs A Quick Lo'ol<r:JW^J;IW^^ Crews gain ground on massive California fires OJAI, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters gained ground Sunday against a wildfire that has burned more than 200 square miles in the Los Padres National Forest, aided by calmer winds and aircraft dropping water and firesmothering chemicals. "The fire is still on the radar, but it's not what it was," said battalion Chief Kelly Zombro of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Iraqis to consider selfruling regions BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq's feuding ethnic and sectarian groups agreed Sunday to consider amending the constitution and begin debating legislation to create a federated nation, while the Shiite prime minister appealed for an end to violence during Ramadan. Despite Nouri al-Maliki's plea for peace, violence killed at least 20 Iraqis and wounded 37 a day before the official start of the Muslim holy month. Two U.S. Marines died in combat in restive Anbar province west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. Former president Clinton defends terror record NEW YORK (AP) - In a combative interview on "Fox News Sunday," former President Clinton defended his handling of the threat posed by Osama bin Laden, saying he tried to have bin Laden killed and was attacked for his efforts by the same people who now criticize him for not doing enough. "That's the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now," Clinton said in the interview. "They ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try, they did not try-" Clinton accused host Chris Wallace of a "conservative hit job" and asked: "I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you asked, 'Why didn't you do anything about the Cole?' I want to know how many people you asked, 'Why did you fire Dick Clarke?'" He was referring to the USS Cole, attacked by terrorists in Yemen in 2000, and former White House antiterrorism chief Richard A. Clarke. AP Photo/Antonio Castaneda A U.S. SOLDIER unrolls concertina wire at an intersection in eastern Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Sept. 14. Iraqis soldiers assigned to build checkpoints around the targeted neighborhood of Shaab arrived several hours late, forcing US soldiers to build makeshift barriers around the neighborhood. Iraqi Army hinders U.S. efforts BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The plan was simple: Iraqi troops would block escape routes while U.S. soldiers searched for weapons house-by-house. But the Iraqi troops didn't show up on time. When they finally did appear, the Iraqis ignored U.S. orders and let dozens of cars pass through checkpoints in eastern Baghdad - including an ambulance full of armed militiamen, American soldiers said in recent interviews. It wasn't an isolated incident, they added. Senior U.S. commanders have hailed the performance of Iraqi troops in the crackdown on militias and insurgents in Baghdad. But some U.S. soldiers say the Iraqis serving alongside them are among the worst they've ever seen - seeming more loyal to militias than the government. That raises doubts whether the Iraqis can maintain order once the security operation is over and the Americans have left. It also raises broader questions about the training, reliability and loyalty of Iraqi troops - who must be competent, U.S. officials say, before America can begin pulling out of Iraq. Last week, for example, Sgt. 1st Class Eric Sheehan could barely contain his frustration when he discovered that barriers and concertina wire that were supposed to bolster defensive positions had been dragged away - again - under the noses of nearby Iraqi soldiers. "(I) suggest we fire these IAs and get them out of the way," Sheehan, of Jennerstown, Pa., reported to senior officers, referring to Iraqi army troops. "There's nothing we can do," came the reply. U.S. soldiers from the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment eventually blocked the road again while Iraqi troops watched from a distance. Some Americans speculated the missing barriers were dragged off to strengthen militia defenses in nearby Sadr City, a sprawling Shiite neighborhood that is a stronghold of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. "They've been doing this all week. They're working against us," said Sheehan, who resorted to waking up the senior Iraqi officer at the checkpoint to complain futilely. • BETRAYED Late Night see page 7 4 Saddam's lawyers will boycott trial David Letterman, Sept. 25, 2006 Top Ten Things to ask yourself before eating spinach AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Saddam Husseins defense team will boycott his genocide trial indefinitely, his chief lawyer said Sunday, accusing the judges of violating Iraqi law. The move was unlikely to halt Saddam's second trial, just as a similar walkout had no effect on his first, since the chief judge said he would appoint replacements after the lawyers stormed out of court last week. Proceedings resume Monday. Still, the boycott could raise further questions about the court, which already was under fire over the replacement of the first chiefjudge after some Iraqis accused him of allegedly favoring the defense. Saddam's head lawyer, Khalil al-Dulaimi, called the decision to replace Judge Abdullah alAmiri a "flagrant violation of the law" because it was "dictated by the government and not the court." Al-Dulaimi also accused the 10. Was my spinach properly sprayed with Lysol? five-judge panel of committing tion if convicted of genocide. "several violations of the law," The defense also boycotted including refusing to hear nonthe final stages of Saddam's first Iraqi lawyers and requiring trial, for his alleged role in the foreign attorneys to seek perdeaths of 148 Shiite Muslims in mission to enter the courtroom. Dujail following a 1982 assasAmong Saddam's nine lawyers sination attempt against him. are a Jordanian, a Spaniard, a A verdict in that trial is Frenchman and two Americans, expected when the court reconincluding former U.S. Attorney venes next month. Saddam and General Ramsey Clark. his seven co-defendants could receive the death sentence if "We will not just sit there convicted. gagged to give it legitimacy," said al-Dulaimi, an Iraqi. But On Tuesday, the government softening his tone somewhat, said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri he said he hoped "the court will al-Maliki approved a request listen to our requests and that's by the Iraqi High Tribunal to when we'll go back to the court- remove al-Amiri, replacing him room." with his deputy, Mohammed Oreibi al-Kiialifa. Saddam and seven others have been on trial since Aug. Al-Amiri had angered 21 for a crackdown on Kurdish Kurdish politicians by declaring guerrillas in the late 1980s. The in court that Saddam was "not prosecution says about 180,000 a dictator." Saddam's lawyers people, mostly civilians, died stormed out of the Wednesday in attacks that included the use session to protest the change in of poison gas against Kurdish judges, and al-Khalifa threw the towns and villages in northern ousted president out of court. Iraq. Saddam could face execu- Fall Int ^EL LOS ANGELES (AP) - An elephant that was elaborately spraypainted for an art exhibit by British artist Banksy was washed by order of the city's Department of Animal Services after animal activists objected. The 38-year-old female elephant, named Tai, was given a nontoxic paint job for last week's opening of an exhibit titled, "Barely Legal." The elephant was painted in the same red-and-gold pattern as the exhibit's walls and placed in a living room that included furniture. Cards handed out at the opening, which included guests such as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, read: "There's an elephant in the room. There's a problem we never talk about." The statement went on to say that many people live below the poverty line. Ed Boks, head of the city's Animal Services Department, ordered the elephant to be completely scrubbed down to bare skin and that a child-safe face paint be used. "The paint they had been using, although nontoxic, according to government regulations was unsafe and even illegal to use the way they had been using it," Boks said. On Sunday, Tai was placed unpainted in the living room exhibit. "Well, it's better than being painted," said Bill Dyer from In Defense of Animals, who objected to the use of Tai in the exhibit. Animal control officers and the elephant's handlers have monitored Tais welfare. The handlers said the elephant was regularly fed and given water, taken on bathroom breaks and driven from the warehouse each night back to her home on a ranch. Banksy, who has managed to disguise his identity despite his spreading fame, began by scattering subversive stenciled images across British cities, but has moved on to books and gallery shows. USU Emi 9- Isn't it still safer than eating a New York City hot dog? 8. So all those years my mom made me eat spinach, she was trying to kill me? 7. Is this the right side dish for my Mad Cow burger? 6. Are my papers in order? 5. If I get sick, will my wife TiVo Ventriloquist Week on the Late Show? 4. Should I also avoid kale? 3. If I'm going to eat something deadly, shouldn't it be delicious PopTarts? 2. What would Popeye do? 1. Do I really want my obituary to read: "Man Dies A La Florentine?" ree Discount: lemberj >rr Sp0JrtsAcademy | ^ > f \ —drRacquft $64.1 Mon-Thurs SAM-I 2AM Fri/Sat 5AM-9PM " Sun I IAM~5PM 0 1655 N .2 0 0 E.N o r t h Logan, U T84341 T e l . 4 3 5 - 7 5 3 - 7 5 0 0 W W W . S P O R T S A C A D E M Y . C O M |