Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 2003)
Up Late? Improve Concentration High Caffeine Coffee nealys.com Large hall and classrooms with commercial kitchen available. Perfect for dances, parties, receptions and corporate training or meetings. Pricing starts at $250/day Call Robert Norris at (979) 822-1600 Tues.-Fri. 8am-5pm » 10 l [ li*?3cm0nE! CoueAll! Come early! WW* — Starting Times— Wed-Thur-Sat Friday Sunday 6:45 6:45 & 9:00 7:15 & 9:00 6.-00 & 8:00 EXPERIENCE THE THRILL OF WINNING Large Non-Smoking Room* • [Xx* Pim •Gtw km •S&imvPiuTM id MuhM Due to Gcott(hdnfp,nommier 18 aalwid ter Over $30,000 Won Each Week CamcucSocal CsHtrOutx [ OFFICE SERVICE Ron Gordon’s Repair & Recycling 1 Printer, Fax and copier repair and sales. Can repair most I brands, parts no trouble. I have ' over 10 years experience in this area. Lowest rates in town. We ' also buy empty OEM laser toner I cartridges. Please call Ron at 979-779-2757 or 979-229-7203. Shuttle to Houston (G. Bush) Intercontinental Airport for only $ 1 9.99 Leaving C.S.: 5:30am 5:30pm Leaving Houston: 9:15am 9:15pm Reserve Online at www.groundshuttle.com or (979) 739-2836 •Additional Schedules for Holidays online It’s Never Too late to loin the Corps! * J\ " ''' 14 Who Knows Where it Mai|Leail You. 8A Thursday, December 4, 2003 NAM the battaui ‘Healthy Forests’ allows for increasd brush cutting, more logging protectioi Chuck Kinnioy • KRT CAMPUS President George W. Bush waves to the audience after a signing ceremony for the Healthy Forests Restoration Act in Washington Wednesday. The new legislation is intended to help prevent devastat ing wildfires that hove annually plagued western states. By Robert Gehrke THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — More timber and brush can be cut and cleared with less environmental scrutiny under a “Healthy Forests” law President Bush signed Wednesday. He said it will help protect communities from devastating wildfires. “This law will not prevent every fire, but it is an important step forward, a vital step to make sure we do our duty to protect our nation's forests,” Bush said while standing in front of rows of wildland fire fighters. “We’ll help save lives and proper ty and we’ll help protect our forests from sudden and needless destruction,” he said. The Healthy Forests Restoration Act signed by the president is the first major forest management legislation in a quarter- century. It seeks to speed up the harvesting of trees in overgrown woodlands and insect-infested trees on 20 million acres of federal forest land most at risk to wildfires. It does that by scaling back required environmental studies, limiting appeals and directing judges to act quickly on legal challenges to logging plans. Critics said the bill would let timber companies cut down large, old-growth trees in the name of fire prevention. “There’s a real danger that the presi dent’s pen might as well be a chain saw,” said Amy Mall, a forestry specialist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Rep. Scott Mclnnis, R-Colo., sponsor of the legislation, said those complaints are from groups out of touch with the mainstream. “Of course when you thin out forests you’re going to have logging. You’re going to have to,” he said. “But people want these forests managed. People want the science used.” Legislation aimed at speeding decisions on where to allow timbering in national forests was bogged down in Congress for three years — until California blazes whipped by Santa Ana winds burned 750,000 acres, destroyed 3,640 homes and forced a compromise. ( Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said language added to Bush’s initial proposal will pro tect old-growth and large-diameter Ires "The signing of this forest bill iniols shows what can be accomplished wtaj sides are w illing to put aside partisan and do what is best for commu threatened by deadly and destructive^ fires.” he said. "This new law protectsi growth forests while providing subst® support for hazardous fuels reduction.' Even after the California fires, 1! was a below-average fire year. So far,: million acres have burned. Twenty-® firefighters died battling the bte according to the Wildland Firefitta Foundation. In 2002, nearly 1 mil acres were charred. The Bush administration estimatt': 190 million acres are at heightenedrisli a severe wildfire — an area the ski Idaho. Montana and Wyoming combiK Mike Dombeck, Forest Serviced during President Clinton’s second tii said Congress should have ( stronger protections for old-growth Jj and roadless areas. Nonetheless, be cal the new- law "a step in the right directiti | “We need to completely rethinl: approach to fire and our human into: with fire and the wildland urban inieifi It’s obvious where we’ve been is non: ing,” said Dombeck, now a forestry pro sor at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. But Dombeck said none of the chans: the bill would have prevented the firesil tore through swaths of California, An and Colorado over the past two years. The measure authorizes Congrei dedicate $760 million ayearfortbii projects. At least half of the moneyin be spent on projects near homes and(® munities. Jay Watson, wildfire expert wif Wilderness Society, said imp changes were included in the hips compromise bill that added mont thinning and required half the fun spent in forests near communities, the law is implemented will determin;: is helpful to the forests or a payback®' timber companies, he said. The Center for Responsive Pc the timber industry has contributed!; million to political campaigns since 80 percent of it to Republicans. I received $519,350 from the ir also has spent $23.8 million on lobby efforts since 2000, according to fi® compiled by Political Money Line cc in The: for the team, inside friendl fines Rollie this with th losses against top-r Univer S o u t Califor ers Net And conseci NCAA ment, / will ha in Coll two rot selectic Sunday the firs ing Fri< “We when ’ Texas, A&M “Being much We an crowd Sweet The ment a total t seedim the bra first m Pentagon assigns lawyer for Guantanamo Bay prisont By Matt Kelley THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — An Australian prisoner at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has become the first foreign terrorist suspect to be given a U.S. mili tary lawyer, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. Marine Corps Maj. Michael Mori will represent David Hicks, the Defense Department said in a brief statement. Hicks is one of six prisoners at the Navy base in Cuba that President Bush named as possi ble candidates for trial by a spe cial military tribunal for terror ism suspects. One other Australian citizen is among the more than 660 men and boys being held there. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz will make the final decision on which Guantanamo prisoners, if any, will face trial. Wolfowitz has not decided on Hicks’ case, the Pentagon statement said. The announcement came a day after the Pentagon announced an about-face in the case of a Louisiana-born terror ism suspect being held in the United States as an “enemy combatant.” The Defense Department agreed to let Yaser Esam Hamdi meet with a lawyer, a reversal from its previ ous refusal to do so. The United States and Australia announced last week they had reached an agreement on how Hicks would be tried before a U.S. military tribunal. Australian officials said they were satisfied Hicks would get a fair trial. U.S. officials assured Australia that Hicks would not face the death penalty 3 would not have his con' 1 ® tions with his lawyer mom® by American troops. The Bo administration also has a* to allow terrorism suspects Hicks to have lawyers fromfc home countries act as atfe during any trial, a mease which was not allowed:: original rules for the tribunals Mori will travel Guantanamo soon to meet"- Hicks and inform him of the t bunal rules, the Pentagon st3 ment said, without givingasf cific date for the trip. WONDERING WHERE TO GO to SELL YOUR BOOKS? LOUPOT’S | BOOKSTORES | GET 10% MORE ON BOOK RETURNS AT BUYBACK NORTHGATE . SOUTHGATE . WOLF PEN HURRICANE HARRY’S SAS IR ADI ING COMPANY JEWELRY, HANDBAGS & MORE Necklaces l ,00 styles Necklace Sets 500 styles Earrings Artwork 3,000 styles 250 pieces Purses 500 styles Hair Jewelry Toe Jewelry Sterling Jewelry BodyJewli)' Rings Belts Watches & Mist, lit' 1 5*500 Square Feet o£ Shopping Heaven 1707 Texas Ave. S., Culpepper Plaza, College Station 695-0400 www.sastradingcompany.com . 1TED Realty & Investment Company FREE LOCATOR SERVICE 260-1200 PRELEASING NOW for Jan, May & August 2l! Across from campus, next to Taco Bell. www. u n ited-rico.com Co is f