, :i'.5F^5»iM)t«. i tvv I'ii'fij $:rlK:?K: • ' : ■;' ' ■ ■ ■. • ■' ,•;! •■i- Y : University Libraries Poor Yorick’s Trivia Contest 10 Monday, March 4, 2002 INTERNATi >, THE BAT% Question of the week: In ancient times he was most famous for his polished philosophical dialogues, all now lost. His surviving books are essentially textbooks for students at his Lyceum. Who was this Greek thinker? Instructions: Entry forms are available at the Circulation Desks in Evans,Annex,WCL, and PSEL. One winner will be drawn from all correct entries submitted by 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Winner will receive a PoorYorick’s coffee mug. Militants in Zimbabwe attad current president’s oppositioi MEET ME AT SATCHELS $ 1 — Longnecks All Day / Everyday Across the street from Traditions Dorm 260-8850 FREE PARKING BEHIND SHADOW CANYON Redefine World Talk to Recruiter and Former Volunteer Dr. Nelson Jacob at Texas A&M University • March 5 and 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Information Tables, Memorial Student Center • March 5, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Film Show, Rudder Tower, Room 704 Visit with Dr. Jacob in the Career Center Library located at 209 Koldus Bldg, on Mondays 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Wednesdays 2 to 4 p.m. To set up an appointment, call 979-777-8075 or e-mail him at peacecorps@tamu.edu. Health Business Education Agriculture Construction Environment Information Technology Community Development All Majors Welcome www.peacecorps.gov • 1-800-424-8580 JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) — President Robert Mugabe calls them loyal war veterans, patriotic Zimbabweans who have risen up spontaneously to fight those who would betray the revolution that brought independence. Most other Zimbabweans see them as violent foot soldiers in a state-sponsored war on their own countrymen pan of an effon by Mugabe to crush his political opponents before next weekend’s presidential election. Often escorted by a protective phalanx of police, militants have firebombed opposi tion party offices and white-owned farms. They have attacked homes and businesses. They allegedly have killed, kidnapped, tor tured or simply beaten those seen as Mugabe’s opponents. Few militants have been arrested. Fewer have been prosecuted. And some have been rewarded handsomely by an increasingly unpopular and autocratic president who is facing his severest political test against the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in the March 9-10 election. “They are doing exactly what [Mugabe] wants. Every day of violence is more votes lost for the MDC,” said Shari Eppel, an offi cial with the Amani Trust, a Zimbabwean human rights group. In fiery speeches, the president has encouraged and defended his shock troops. After parliamentary elections in 2000, he gave a blanket amnesty to those who waged a violent intimidation campaign against opposition groups. “This is a betrayal of what we fought for,” said Wilfred Mhanda, a former officer in the high command of the liberation army that ended white rule in 1980. “We fought most importantly for free dom and social justice and there is no polit ical freedom right now,” said Mhanda. direc tor of the Zimbabwe Liberation Platform, a group of war veterans that lobbies for good governance and human rights. Joseph Chinotimba, who describes him self as a field commander of the pro-Mugabe militants, denied in a telephone interview that the militants have done anything wrong. “We are totally peaceful,” said Chinotimba, who accused the MDC and its presidential candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, of being behind the political violence sweeping the country. However, Chinotimba himself has led violent raids on farms, and he has been charged with the attempted murder of a female neighbor he accused of supporting the opposition. He also was convicted of possessing an illegal firearm, but remains free pending appeal. He once stormed the Supreme Court yelling, “Kill the judges.” With no interfer ence from police guards, he entered the chambers of Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay, whose court had begun striking down as unconstitutional new law s aimed at strengthening Mugabe’s hold on power, and threatened him. Gubbay, who had been appointed by Mugabe, resigned after the government said it would not protect him. Chinotimba calls Gubbay “an agent of Ian Smith,” who was the defiant leader of the minority white government in the nation then called Rhodesia. Mugabe rewarded Chinotimba with a large farm. The militants say they are helping redis tribute white-owned farms to landless blacks. But many farms have gone to ruling party lawmakers, Mugabe's ministi loyalists like Chinotimba. Five years ago, after their pei was drained by corrupt officials,* ans took to the streets to demand Mi \c ij'M.t’ii'ii I h- I’.tse them a hugf| financed by planned new taxes. Wb* rulings and strikes destroyed the a the payouts helped sink the econom. Mugabe’s popularity with it. Over the past two years, rulingpr itants led by the war veterans have opposition supporters all over the They occupied hundreds of while- farms. burned the houses of bk>j§ workers and then used the land ashf! intimidating the country’s rurai human rights activists say. More than l(X) people have bee METIS W T e\as histor ,, • . • • good Human rights organizations sav nei > , ," ■ i, , . , r. . . / minded. It dead have been black opposition scr> » _ ize Foreign governments have Mugabe to restore the rule of law. I dent promised he w ould, but the vk .^ escalated, w ith dozens killed inFr'.? ri issi Many of the militants are fane to have had any role in the nation tion war. Yet nearly all call them* veterans. “Mugabe is taking advantage : vets and our youth." Mhanda said. At youth militia training cr younger recruits are indoctrinate; veterans in w hat they are told is the ation’s battle against imperialistr eign influence, human rights gn The rhetoric “gives young pe feeling that they are taking parti pllys a big ■ of the schoc- or pot, the c ^aes are n« isbb. Texas. ^Brs to wh took 87 yea: ■in 1963. move debate being admit than there v ■uiltance. wrjunen wer time (like tl minorities r changes tak ideological linkage to our forefafe'|? 11 1 ux e ing colonial occupation," saidBnr 1 * 1 ^ a human rights lawyer. system < things were would that n ST Banking With A , r | i 1 JYsonal Touch First National Bank has been here since 1876 when TAMC began classes, and is still going strong offering complete banking services for you. Aggies doing business with Aggies! Our long history of working with Aggies qualifies us as your best choice for financial services. 979-779-1111 2807 S’.Texa?Ave • !862Rock Prairie Rd. • Tern si Harvey Rd» Post Oak Wall • l ari Rudder Prwy. at llwv 21 uiwui.fnb-bcs.com H LSAf^MATVGREVMCAtufDAT Kaplan gets you in Law School Business School Graduate School Medical School Dental School Classes start soon! GRE - March 4 DAT - March 18 GMAT - March 25 Call 1-800-KAP-TEST or visit kaptest.com to enroll today! Test prep, admissions and guidance. For life. Switzerland joins United Nations GENEVA (AP) — Swiss vot ers approved joining the United Nations on Sunday, finding the prospect of a greater role in today’s interlinked world more compelling than fears that it would threaten the nation's cen turies-old tradition of neutrality. The country, which has been formally neutral for almost 200 years, will become the United Nations’ 190th member. Only the Vatican remains outside the world body. During the Cold War, Switzerland feared U.N. mem bership would sweep it into the battles between East and West. More recently, opponents have feared having to submit to the political dictates of the Security Council. The Swiss have practiced forms of neutrality on and off since the 13th century, but the principle was laid down formal ly in the 1815 Treaty of Paris that ended the Napoleonic Wars. In that pact, European powers guaranteed the “perpetual neu trality” of Switzerland. The Swiss themselves made it part of their 1848 constitu tion. Treating both sides in a war evenhandedly has remained a guiding principle since, although recent historical reviews have said Switzerland went too far in helping the Germans in World War II. The popular vote gave the bid for U.N. membership a comfortable 55-45 percent approval, but the crucial second hurdle — approval by at least half the country’s cantons, or states — received a much nar rower 12-11 result. The referendum had the highest turnout in a decade, with 58 percent of qualified voters participating. Switzerland's three or four annual referen- dums often draw only 40-50 per cent of voters. Small mountain cantons — most of them German-speaking — voted heavily against the United Nations. But the French- speaking cantons of the west and key German-speaking can tons of central Switzerland pre vailed with their yes vote. It was a sharp reversal of a similar Swiss vote in 1986, when 75 percent rejected U.N. membership, backing oppo nents who said East-West polar ization would compromise Swiss neutrality. The government pushed the latest initiative, believing that the political climate has changed since the height of the Cold War and that it was time for the 7 million Swiss to play a full role in the world. Billionaire industrialist Christoph Blocher — a national ist politician who led the opposi tion this time — said he “deeply regretted” the outcome. “It will lead to the weaken ing of Switzerland,” Blocher said. “Freedom and the rights of the people will be limited, and neutrality will at the very least be deeply damaged.” plished? Th decide for t Israel bars Muslimsli-^ from building next basicala in Nazaret mine iheir s K l he Uni\ pan to meet minority stu unwelcome, sij^ hours of classes to th those enterii JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel announced a per Not o Sunday on construction of a large mosque next to the:. • nfitu es and the Annunciation in Nazareth, drawing strong concr- designed spi from Muslims in the biblical town. ity student i The Islamic Movement in Nazareth, the group that'i nhere are net build the mosque, accused Christian leaders abroad of tions on can in a local affair and said it would not abandon its plait' a We for eve “We totally reject this decision, we are going tost.: l ess of race, holy land until we finish building the mosque." saidSalm; f f is not Ahmed, the group’s leader. tom.ike sm The issue has raised tensions in Israel's largest Arabctt feels good; 1998, when Muslims received government permission tot-— becomin mosque on a lot adjacent to the basilica where they say a campus is t was buried. students. It Christian leaders have said that building a mosque so nized that i the Basilica — the largest in the Middle East and the sit dents have tradition says die Angel (iabi iel foretold Jesus' birth—wklengc and I, disrespectful. into their «’ Pope John Paul II threatened to cancel a visit in 2000o';black, whit issue, and President Bush raised the subject with Israelifogportunid Minister Ariel Sharon during a meeting last year. achievemer The foundation of the mosque has been set. but the K student on permits have never been issued. Israel has proposed alK' In a rece sites, which Muslims in Nazareth have rejected. Houston Cl, Natan Sharansky, the Israeli Cabinet minister in char; Martin, a b committee the government set up last month to resolve -A&M, expl pute, announced Sunday that construction of the mosque Texas A&IV be halted for good. ingly white “Whatever decision we make, there will be soinebod; university." is) unhappy,” Sharansky said. “But it was very importafblack stride to make a real decision which takes into account die real black yell 1< of the local population and the feelings and sensitivities senators, bl faithful people all over the world.” black stride Abu Ahmed said there had been no work on the site sift- government ordered a temporary halt to construction inJaft but that the group intended to continue building, in accord with permission granted by previous Israeli governments. “The Christians in the world are doing everything topft us from building this mosque when it is our responsibility^ here in Nazareth,” he said. “We will stay here and continue ^ ing until we finish the mosque. We will not listen to Sharff Ci L J j Cameron Reynold Attorney At Law Licensed by the ’Texas Supreme Court Not Board Certified Class of ‘91 Jim James Attorney At Law Board Certified Criminal Law Class of ‘75 ast a f< cor lO-year-o 10 years i trial has f Church ir unfolded, Catholic i church’s its parish these sex o1 Cathol ! After I ,r SPECIALIZING IN THi: DEFENSE OF CRIMINAL CHARGES I NCI l J>I\G: ¥ Driving While Intoxicated ¥All Alcohol and Drug Offenses ¥A1I other Criminal Offenses 979-846-1934 e-mail: jim@tca.net website: http://jimwjames.wld.com