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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1997)
mything." -itten motion,! sought a mistrialj - Martz, anFBIteci inalyzed evidenct] >n case, was om v/ed from his post robe of FBI evidi ocedures. man who works rogrammerwas alternate ranks /ay. The jury now men and six wi », one Hispanic, linton focuses on WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- nt Clinton, declaring that Ameri- ns “want us to be partners, not rtisans,” challenged Congress in s State of the Union address Tues- y night to give the nation’s hools a big spending increase ile balancing the budget by 2002. ae person of Asianl Recycling popular ideas from his m mpaign, Clinton identified edu- tion as the top priority of his sec- d term and said Americans ould have “the best education in eworki.” He challenged commu- ties to measure their students ainst national standards to lift f-hievement in math and science. The president’s proposals would ge. s dismissal folli rat two jurors fronij 1 were under invesi gedly trying to coni f the civil-trial - vouching for the ?dia agent. , acquitted of ma' r 0 is being suedb^ l0St education spending by 20 ’ ' gsue QD )t rcenti to $5i billion 1 believe him respq June 1994 slasl icole Brown Sirai Goldman. for fiscal )98. The increase — including the 3St of tax breaks for college — lould total 40 percent by 2002. Two weeks after his second inau guration, the president lectured the Republican-led Congress to “complete the unfin ished business of our coun try” — balancing the bud get, enacting long-stalled campaign finance reform and reopening last year’s welfare law to restore ben efits to legal immigrants. In a 60-minute speech, his tone was both concil iatory and challenging, calling for racial and political har mony but also pressuring Congress for action. He was interrupted by applause 69 times. As Clinton stood before a joint session of Congress, the nation’s at tention was distracted by news of a verdict in the O.J. Simpson civil trial. He completed his remarks just as the Clinton verdict was being read in California. Balancing the budget by 2002 “requires only your vote and my signature,” Clinton said, brushing over the wide gulf with Republicans over how to achieve that goal. “This is not going to be easy,” he acknowledged, adding that he believed Americans gave him a sec ond term to make tough decisions about the future. He said the Republi can-driven proposal for a consti tutional amendment for a bal anced budget was “unnecessary and unwise,” adding: “We don’t need a constitutional amend ment. We need action.” That line drew groans from Republicans. Clinton was on strong footing as he faced Republicans suspicious of education^ budget his proposals. His political confi dence, shaken by the Democrats’ devastation in 1994, was restored by his re-election, and his recent ap proval ratings were among the highest of his presidency. Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma gave the traditional Republican response to Clinton. In his prepared remarks, Watts struck GOP themes of return ing power to local communities, family values and balancing the federal budget. “The strength of America is not in Washington,” said Watts. For the moment, at least, Re publicans and Democrats alike are stressing bipartisanship and cooperation, although neither side pretends there won’t be leg islative fights. Still, there was none of the bitter ness and distrust that reigned a year ago after budget battles forced two government shutdowns that out raged Americans and tarred the COE Indeed, Clinton accepted an invita tion from Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and Speaker Newt Gin grich to visit Capitol Hill next Tuesday to discuss the legislative agenda. “We must work together,” the president said. “The people of this na tion elected us all. They want us to be partners, not partisans. They put us all here in the same boat. They gave us all oars and they told us to row.” Still to come, though, are ethics and legal investigations that could cloud Clinton’s administration — and the bipartisanship. The presi dent’s vulnerability is mirrored by Gingrich’s own ethics problems, and some analysts believe that may prompt both sides to be more conciliatory. State of the Union Reactions “The president has proven time and again that he can talk the talk. The question tonight is: Can he walk the walk?’’ — Rep. Tom DeLay, RSugar Land. “This has the potential for being one of the most productive ses sions of Congress ever.” — Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. “The president wants to get things done. He wants achievements dur ing his second term and he wants to work with both parties. And I don’t have a problem with that.” — Rep. Martin Frost, D-Dallas. Petal Tips Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion Roxanne Peters, a senior journalism major, gets tips from senior lecturer jim Johnson at a floral arrangement class Tuesday afternoon. etition drive draws 5,470 signatures 3erm By Melissa Nunnery The Battalion Students petitioning for a refer- ndum for yell leader run-off elec- ons gathered 5,470 signatures hich they turned in to the Stu- ent Government Association Ju- cial Board Tuesday afternoon. The petition drive gained mo- entum as concerned student’s etition to the j-board asking for forcement of last spring’s refer- dum was denied. The ruling d Student Senate-initiated ref- endums are not necessarily nding, but that students can by pass the Senate through a petition. They needed signatures from 3,929 students, 10 percent of the student body, for another referen dum to be considered. Erin Mozola, a senior applied mathematics major, helped gath er signatures for the petition. She said the decision to hold another referendum depends on how many signatures the j-board throws out. “We’ve been told they (the j- board) would pick random names off the sheet and verify the social security numbers to be sure that person is indeed a student,” Mo zola said. Kevin Jordan, student government judicial board chair and an accounting graduate stu dent, said the petitioners were told what constitutes a valid signature. “If the message of the petition has been changed on a sheet, we will invalidate the [signatures on the] sheet,” Jordan said. The front each sheet had spaces for the names, signatures and social security numbers of 25 students. Jordan said signatures on the backs of sheets will not be counted. If a signature, name or social se curity number is unreadable, it will not be counted, Jordan said. Mozola said it would be hard to believe that over 1,000 signatures could be thrown out. “It depends on how things work out,” she said. “We did get 5,470 — well over the 3,900 we needed.” She said student government has been cooperative in the effort to hold another referendum. “ [Student government] tried to work with us (petitioners) and to help us see the wishes of the stu dent body implemented,” Mozo la said. See Petition, Page 10 Jury finds Simpson liable on all counts ► After finding Simpson liable for the slayings of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman, the civil jury ordered him to pay $8.5 million in damages. SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — A civil jury found O.J. Simpson li able Tuesday for the slashing deaths of his ex-wife and her friend, a moral victory for grieving relatives who felt the football great got away with murder. The jury ordered him to pay $8.5 million in compensatory damages and will return Thursday to decide whether to award millions more in punitive damages. The mostly white panel, forced to start deliberations anew last Friday after a juror was removed for mis conduct, snatched away some of the vindication Simpson claimed when he was acquitted of murder by a mostly black juiy in 1995. That tele vised murder trial divided the nation over issues of police racism, domes tic violence and the quality of justice. This civil jury, using the lesser standard of “preponderance of evi dence” rather than “beyond a rea sonable doubt,” was unanimous on all counts in blaming Simpson for the June 12,1994, deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The dramatic reading of the ver dict was delayed more than three hours to allow the lawyers and fam ilies to get to the courthouse. Simp son’s trip — in a black Suburban in stead of a white Bronco — was televised live nationally on a split screen just as President Clinton be gan his State of the Union address. The $8.5 million represented the value of Goldman’s funeral and the loss of Goldman’s companionship, to his parents. Ms. Simpson’s family did not seek compensatory damages. Simpson The jury’s findings of malice and oppression triggered the second phase to determine punitive damages — money assessed to punish Simpson. Already, plaintiffs’ attorneys have asked for, and received Simpson’s lat est financial records in prepa ration for a puni tive phase. Christopher Darden, a prose cutor in Simp son’s criminal tri al, told CNBC: “We said all along that O.J Simpson committed these crimes and all we asked ... was our day in court. A fair hearing. A fair hearing on the issues. And I believe that we’ve done that, that that’s been accomplished.” The jury reached the verdict after 17 hours of deliberations over three days — more than five times as long as the criminal jury deliberated. That was on top of the 14 hours over three days that were inter rupted Friday when the judge re placed the only black member for failing to disclose that her daugh ter was a secretary in the district attorney’s office that prosecuted Simpson at his murder trial. The final six-man, six-woman jury consisted of nine whites, one His panic, one Asian and one of Asian and black heritage. In its last day of deliberations, the jury spent three hours listening to readbacks of some 200 pages of testimony focusing on Simpson’s opportunity and motive. It heard testimony about Simpson’s alibi, a bruising argument with his ex-wife and a limousine driver’s time line. Jurors were particularly attentive when they heard the testimony of limo driver Allan Park, the only wit ness whose testimony the jury at Simpson’s murder trial asked to hear again before it acquitted him. See Simpson, Page 6 ommittee cracks down on inors who drink and drive AUSTIN (AP) — Alice London Id state senators that she want- to put a human face on the fact at Texas leads the nation in alco- -related traffic fatalities involv- g minors. The Senate Criminal Justice ommittee voted 7-0 on Tuesday to prove a bill by Sen. Royce West, Dallas, that would crack down on fensive ing with Punch Line)! pay only $25 this coupon) ning Company, Inc- ;efor ticket ion & Go Tutoring tshausen '90 :y-net.net/~gi'i n 1-4746) The Battalion INSIDETODAY FAMILY AFFAIR: Nancy and Lisa Dingwall are together again on the A&M Tennis Team. Sports, Page 7 Aggielife Toons Opinion Page 3 Page 6 Page 9 underaged drinkers who drive. The bill now goes to the full Sen ate for consideration. Rep. Allen Place, D-Gatesville, is sponsoring the bill in the House. Testifying before the committee, Mrs. London gave senators pictures of her 19-year-old stepson, Daniel, who was killed last June, along with his girlfriend, Bethany Early 17, in a head-on crash involving a 19-year- old driver who police say was drunk. Andrew Papke was charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of in toxication assault after his 1991 Acura crumpled Daniel London’s red, 1974 Volkswagen Beetle on a winding Austin road. Papke’s case has not yet gone to trial. “There is no reason why Texas should lead the nation in drinking and driving,” Mrs. London said. “And there is no reason that Daniel and Beth should have died the way they did. This bill, more than any other bill, has the likelihood of sav ing lives.” . While Texas law prohibits mi nors from buying or consuming al cohol, it allows drivers under the age of 21 to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of up to .07. A reading of. 10 is considered legally in toxicated. “If it’s against the law to purchase and consume alcohol under 21, it should be equally against the law to drink and drive under the age of 21,” West said. Under West’s bill, anyone under 21 who is found to have “any de tectable amount of alcohol” while driving would be subject to com munity service and having their dri ver’s license suspended for a mini mum of 120 days. A minor who refused to submit to a breath test also would face los ing his license for 120 days. The bill would put in place a “zero-tolerance” initiative that West said the state must adopt by Oct. 1, 1998, or face the loss of federal high way funds. Texas is one of only 13 states .that have not yet adopted zero-tol erance laws, making it illegal for drivers under age 21 to drive after any drinking. Statue depicts Berlin Wall collapse George Bush Library to display bronze-cast monument By Benjamin Cheng The Battalion Amidst the foliage of Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park stands a bronze-cast monument destined to be permanently displayed at the George Bush Library. The monument, titled “The Day the Wall Came Down,” commemorates the collapse of the Berlin Wall, which was destroyed during Bush’s presidency. The monument depicts four mares and a stallion leaping over a torn-down section of the Berlin Wall. Artist Veryl Goodnight of Santa Fe, N.M., sculpted the monument. When the Berlin Wall fell on Nov. 9,1989, Goodnight was working on a monument of five horses for a development in Florida. During her sleep that night, Goodnight received inspiration for the monument. “In the middle of the night I had a dream that my horses were jumping over the Berlin Wall,” Good night said. Goodnight grew up hiking and riding horses in the Rocky Mountains. “For me, the biggest feeling of freedom is to be on the back of a horse,” she said. The monument conveys the joy and freedom ex perienced around the world after the Berlin Wall’s col lapse, Goodnight said. “The vast majority of people will just see the hors es jumping over the Berlin Wall,” she said. “They’ll feel Photo provided by Tim Donathen The monument "The Day the Wall Came Down" is currently on loan to the state of Georgia. the surge of joy that comes with freedom.” Goodnight wants viewers to note the subtleties on the monument, like the graffiti and the dove. Inscribed on the dove are the names of people who have given or spent their lives fighting for human rights. Goodnight spent five years completing the mon ument. The casting and assembly took 18 months. The monument is currently on loan to the state of Georgia. See Statue, Page 10