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Show Page 4 Friday, Sept. 14, 2007 Rape by association? Leader of polygamist sect goes on trial You won't be saying "Aw shucks" when you leave our corn maze! Find your "Corny Cash" at the Green Canyon Farms Corn Maze and GET LO (Bring a date, but np nibblin' on 2850 N 50 E North Logan (North of Eccles Ice Arena) Mon-Thur 5-11 Fr i5-12 Sat 2-12 Call 755-7872 for more info. W OPEN!!! An Early College High School focusing on science, engineering, and math! ECH" Campus News ' Located on the ;. USU Innovation • t Campus r o t I FC.TATF H l f . H S 435-753-7377 - www.intechchs.org InTech is still accepting students for the 2007-08 school year! . Opportunity for high school students to earn up to two years of college credit while earning their high school diplomas • Challenging academic curriculum • Provides an engaging career exploration program • Small school environment with a dedicated faculty Stop by our school the week of Sept. 17-21 from 5:00-7:00 PM to visit with our faculty and staff! Driving Directions: From Main Street, turn east up 1800 North (by Kmart), continue until about 450 East, then take a right onto Research Parkway just after the mortuary ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) - A 14-year-old girl objected to marriage and sex with an older cousin but her spiritual mentor insisted she surrender "mind, body and soul," a prosecutor said Thursday as trial opened for a polygamous-sect leader charged with rape by accomplice. The girl, now 21, was under the exacting influence of Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Washington County prosecutor Brock Belnap told jurors. Jeffs is accused of telling her that she risked her salvation if she refused to enter a religious union in 2001 and have sex with the 19-year-old man. Belnap told jurors they would see pictures of the girl having her wedding dress sewn. "She'll be smiling, but you'll understand that pictures don't necessarily say what was going on in her heart," he said. The girl first had sex with her cousin months after their ceremonial marriage in a Nevada motel, Belnap said. When she later complained to Jeffs, he replied: '"Repent. Go home and give yourself mind, body and soul to your husband.' And she did," Belnap told the jury. Jeffs, 51, was a fugitive for nearly two years and was on the FBI's Most Wanted list when he was arrested during a traffic stop outside Las Vegas in August 2006. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. During opening statements, defense attorney Tara Isaacson said the alleged victim's cousin will testify that no rape occurred. She said other couples belonging to Jeffs' FLDS church will talk about how he counsels them about marriage. During a 1999 sermon, Isaacson said, Jeffs told his followers that a "man should only have marital relations with a wife if she invites it." The girl may not have liked being married to her cousin, Isaacson said, but "being unhappy is different from being raped." The trial began after more than three days of interviews with prospective jurors. Fifth District Judge James Shumate and attorneys quickly settled on seven women and five men Thursday morning after whittling the pool to 28 people. Jeffs has led the FLDS church since 2002. Followers see him as a prophet who communicates with God arid holds dominion over their salvation. Ex-church members say the former school principal reigns with an iron fist, demanding perfect obedience from followers. Many had speculated it would be difficult to seat an impartial jury in Washington County because of intense media coverage and because Jeffs' insular FLDS church is based only about 50 miles east in the twin border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. In questioning with one prospct live juror Wednesday, ShuiiKitL- said some polygamists perceive ilumselves as involved in a civii-rij;hts struggle. Polygamy advocates have long contended that the freedom to practice plural marriage as part of their religion is a civil-rights matter. FLDS members believe polygamy brings exaltation in heaven. And while Jeffs is not charged with being a polygamist, and the marriage between the cousins was monogamous, polygamy likely will emerge in discussions at trial. But polygamy, the judge said, "cannot be allowed by jurors to be a focus of concern." Appeals court rules government breached trust duties in Navajo case ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A federal appeals court on Thursday handed the nation's largest Indian reservation a victory in a yearslong legal battle over claims that the government and a coal company conspired to cheat the Navajo Nation out of millions of dollars in royalties. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the federal government failed to uphold its trust duties to the Navajos and that the tribe is entitled to damages from the government. "After 14 years of litigation, it's extremely gratifying that a distinguished court of appeals has embraced the position that the Navajo Nation has taken and has ensured that trust responsibility is not simply a catch phrase, but it has some real meaning," said Paul Frye, an Albuquerque attorney who represented the tribe in the case. It was unclear late Thursday whether the government would appeal the ruling. A spokesman with the U.S. Department of Justice said he could not immediately comment on the ruling. The appeals court has remanded the case back to the Court of Federal Claims to determine how much damage the tribe suffered as a result of the government's actions. Navajo president Joe Shirley Jr. said late Thursday that he was ecstatic about the ruling. "I feel like they've been doing an injustice to us all long but now we're beginning to call their hand," he said. The Navajos claim the government's breach of trust cost them as much as $600 million in lost coal royalties. For the Navajo Nation, where many people live without running water or electricity, that's more than the total annual tribal budget. Frye said he hopes the tribe Speak U p "J feel like they've been doing an injustice to us all long but now we're beginning to call their hand." Joe Shirley Jr., Novojo president would be able to use whatever damages the court may eventually award to "remedy some serious infrastructure deficiencies." Shirley also pointed to the needs of the tribe's youngsters and its senior citizens, saying a monetary award would enable the tribe to begin helping itself. The sprawling reservation covers part of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. The Peabody Coal Company has mined coal on tribal lands for decades, paying the tribe taxes and mineral royalties. In 1985, the tribe alleged that Peabody Coal conspired with then-Interior Secretary Donald Hodel to persuade the tribe to accept a lower royalty than other government officials believed the tribe should be paid. The Navajos said the Interior Department failed in its duty under the Indian Mineral Lease Act to protect the tribe's interest. The tribe filed a lawsuit in 1993 and demanded payment from the government, but the Court of Federal Claims ruled that the tribe was not entitled to damages. The appeals court reversed the decision in 2001, resulting in an appeal by the government. The Supreme Court ruled two years later that violations of the Mineral Lease Act didn't entitle the tribe to payment from the government. The tribe appealed, this time seeking to present arguments that a network of statutes and regulations other than the Mineral Lease Act were violated that would entitle the tribe to damages. The appeals court said Thursday the network of laws cited by the tribe establish "specific trust duties and can fairly be interpreted as mandating compensation for damages sustained as a result of a breach of the duties imposed by the governing law." The ruling also states that the tribe demonstrated that the government violated its common law trust duties of care, candor and loyalty as well as its duty to keep the tribe informed regarding the development of its coal resources. Degrees: New area studies available to students IJ conttnuedfrom page 1 American politics exclusively. Professor William Furlong, in the political science department, has coordinated this minor with the help of Bonnie GlassCoffin and Susan Mannon of the department of sociology, Cacilda Rego from the department of languages and James Sanders of the department of history. The course catalog describes people who complete this minor to have "demonstrated language competence and enhanced political, economic, cultural, Register for Institute at our NEW website wise.ldsces.org Friday Night Activity (FNA) Open House Carnival! Sept. 14th at 7:00pm. Sandwiches-Dance-Mechanical Bull-Inflatibles and More! and sociological understanding of the countries and peoples of Latin America." The minor covers more areas than most by including language and history. It is described as being created to compliment existing majors through the expansion and development of regional knowledge and expertise. This new area will provide even more options for those who are interested in different facets of political science. The two young programs both have many students enrolled and many more interested. With this being the first semester that the new emphasis is offered, the equine science and management emphasis already has 30 students enrolled. "I expect that over the next three to five years our numbers will really expand," Evans said. "We expect this program to draw students locally and nationally, which it has already begun doing." -liz.w@aggiemailusu.edu Religion In Life Brent Yorgason Author/Co-author of 90+ books. Teaches classes on Marriage atBYU Salt LaWc-Center. f \ Lunch after- Walking Tacos |