OCR Text |
Show World&Nation Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009 Iran: Opposition says testimonies were coerced Grant funds kids from polygamous sects -continued from page 2 Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) member Mary Harker speaks at a hearing at the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City Wednesday, July 29, 2009. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – A tiny southern Utah nonprofit that helps women and children who leave the polygamous lifestyle has received a $40,000 grant from a women’s organization affiliated with the national Presbyterian Church. The funding about doubles the HOPE organization’s annual budget. The money will fund Jump Start, a lifeskills program aimed at helping children ages 6 to 17 build self-esteem, develop interpersonal skills and understand mainstream society, HOPE President Elaine Tyler said. “We are so honored,” Tyler said. “It’s going to make a huge impact in the lives of some of these kids.” Three segments of Jump Start classes ‚Äî in groups aged 6 to 9, 10 to 13 and 14 to 17 ‚Äî begin Sept. 11 and last eight weeks. Tyler hopes to have about 25 kids enrolled. The grant is also paying for a facilitator to run the program and the rent for the facility where classes will be held. The grant is from the Creative Ministries Offering Committee of Presbyterian Women, which awards several Thank Offering grants annu- Page 9 ally. Based in Washington, Utah, HOPE works mostly with families who have left the insular Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Last year the organization helped 85 individuals who need assistance with basic needs such as transportation and clothing, housing, legal assistance, education, employment and referrals to other programs and service agencies, Tyler said. Founded in 2004 with just $7,000, HOPE runs on a shoestring budget of grant funding and private donations that total about $30,000 annually and relies heavily on in-kind contributions, Tyler said. Tyler applied for the Thank Offering grant last year after making presentations to Presbyterian women’s groups at churches in Cedar City and St. George. Such a small organization seemed an unlikely candidate for a grant, said Carolyn Jantzer, who attends Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in St. George. But high-profile events raised the awareness of problems faced by those who leave the church, she said. ment, Hajjarian was a senior aide to former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, helping to design a program of social and political liberalization during Khatami’s 1997-2005 administration ‚Äî policies that were ultimately stymied by hard-line clerics who dominate Iran’s Islamic republic system. Hajjarian was among the radical students who seized the U.S. Embassy during the height of the 1979 Islamic revolution and held American diplomats hostage for 444 days. He later helped build the Islamic republic’s Intelligence Ministry, rising to high rank in the ministry. But in the 1990s, Hajjarian became disillusioned with the clerical leadership and began to speak out for freedom of expression and political reform. He called for limit- ing Khamenei’s powers and formulated a reform strategy of “pressure from the bottom, bargaining at the top” ‚Äî rallying the public in favor of change while pressing demands within the halls of power. In the 2000 assassination attempt, gunmen believed linked to hard-liners shot Hajjarian in the head at close range and the bullet passed through his cheek, lodging in his throat. For years, he had to use a wheelchair, though he can now stand with a walker or support from others. His speech remains impaired from a stroke he had after the attack. During Tuesday’s session, the prosecutor called for Hajjarian’s party to be dissolved and urged “full punishment” against Hajjarian, though officials have not said what the maximum sentence would entail. Many of those on trial held key positions in Khatami’s government and now hold prominent positions in reform parties. Hard-line clerics and politicians have pushed for the arrest of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims to have won the June election, and his ally Mahdi Karroubi, who also ran in the election. Among the defendants who appeared Tuesday was Kian Tajbakhsh, an IranianAmerican academic charged with espionage, contact with foreign elements and acting against national security. Tajbakhsh appeared to try to speak broadly about foreign interference in Iran, telling the court that “undeniably this was a goal of the U.S. and European countries to bring change inside Iran” and that “the root cause of the riots are found outside the borders.” But, he added: “Since I’ve had no contacts with any headquarters inside and outside the country, I have no evidence to prove foreign interference,” the state news agency IRNA said. In a rare show of defiance, another defendant, Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, said he opposed Ahmadinejad’s government and rejected the court’s indictment. “As a reformer, my position is clear,” said Ramezanzadeh, a prominent figure in Hajjarian’s party. “I’ve put forward my views in my speeches and I won’t change my views.” Dozens of relatives of the defendants protested outside the court building during the session until they were dispersed by police and plainclothes pro-government vigilantes, the pro-opposition Web site Norooz reported. Party headquarter windows smashed in protest of health care reform. DENVER (AP) – At least two people smashed windows bearing healthcare reform posters at the Colorado Democratic headquarters in Denver in what party officials are calling an act of political vandalism. Police say the windows were broken at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. A policeman on regular patrol witnessed two people smashing windows with hammers, stopped, then pursued the suspects as they fled on bicycles. The officer arrested 24-year-old Maurice Schwenkler on suspicion of criminal mischief. The other suspect was still at large Tuesday afternoon. There was no phone number listed for Schwenkler and it wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney. State party Chairwoman Pat Waak says most of the 11 shattered windows were directly in front of posters supporting health care reform and President Barack Obama. Waak says a flier opposing Obama’s health care plans had been glued to an outside wall, though it was unclear whether it was placed there by the vandals. “It was name calling on the other side against health care reform and our assumption is that this wasn’t a random thing,” Waak said. “And to aim your slugs right at posters and pictures looks pretty intentional.” The Democratic Party estimates the damage at $10,000. Denver Police said they don’t know what motivated the suspects. The headquarters was unoccupied at the time and there were no injuries reported. “This kind of hooliganism has no place in American politics. I condemn it,” said Republican John Andrews, former Colorado Senate President and head of the conservative think tank, the Centennial Institute. “Beyond that, it’s just idle speculation as to what might have motivated whatever slug did this. The most obvious health-related link might be alcohol impaired judgment.” Across the country, members of Congress conducting town hall meetings on health care reform have been met by protesters, some who have disrupted meetings with angry outbursts. In Arizona and New Hampshire, protesters have shown up outside Obama appearances carrying guns, while Ohio Rep. Steve Driehaus was met by protesters in Cincinnati shouting his home address that he said was a veiled threat. $ĝĦē 'Ěĥ 8ĠģĜĠĦĥĤ &ĩġĖģĚĖğĔĖ " $ĒĝĠģĚĖ #Ħģğ -ĚĜĖ /ĖħĖģ #ĖėĠģĖå UNLIMITEDÊtanning,Ê$17.95 THEÊFIRSTÊ25ÊSTUDENTSÊTOÊSIGNÊUP RECEIVEÊAÊFREE SPORTSÊACADEMYÊMEMBERSHIP spor tsacademy.com 1655ÊNÊ200ÊE,ÊNorthÊLogan,ÊUtahÊ|Ê435-753-7500 'MFYJCMF .JOVUF $MBTTFT ɩ BU 'JU :PVS 4DIFEVMF :PV $IPPTF UIF 5JNF 8F (VBSBOUFF 3FTVMUT 4JHO 6Q #FGPSF 4FQUFNCFS UI 5P (FU 0OF .POUIT 'SFF .JOVUFT 'SPN $BNQVT +VTU /PSUI PG 8BM .BSU XXX TQPSUTBDBEFNZ DPN :PVS $MVC t :PVS 3FTVMUT t :PVS -JGF |