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Hostile Colleges solicit young voters groups free 7 in Iraq Wide open spaces CSUF students can rest insured Nationʼs campuses work to register students by Oct. 18 By KYLE McCORY and VIRGINIA TERZIAN Daily Titan Staff
Thousands of young people are uniting to ensure the voices of teens and college students are heard in this Novemberʼs election. “If youʼre not registered and some-
thing happens that makes you want to vote, you lose your chance,” said Shelly Arsneault, assistant professor of political science, in response to the National Youth and Student Voter Registration Day, being held today around the United States. The event, sponsored by Childrenʼs Defense as well as 17 other national organizations, will take place at college campuses, high schools and neighborhoods. The purpose is to make sure young adults ages 18 to 24 are registered before the deadline date
this Oct. 18. “One goal is to get them registered,” Arsneault said. “The second [goal] is to serve as a reminder that the election is coming up and itʼs important.” Although there are 23.9 million eligible voters under the age of 25, which is more than ever before, voter turnout within this age group continues to decline, according to www. childrensdefense.com. The event coordinators also hope to encourage those already registered
to vote to do so in November. “We can register 10,000 students,” said Mona Mohammadi, Associated Students Inc. executive vice president, “but are they really going to get out and vote?” ASI will also be setting up a voterʼs campaign by the end of this week where they will hang posters and distribute postcards around campus with information on what to expect after students register to vote. The Volunteer and Service Center will have booths in the Quad and
on Titan Walkway Wednesday and Thursday with voter registration forms and brochures explaining ballot issues that college students should be aware of. Resources for Engaging and Advocating Civic Transformation, a campus street team, will also be encouraging students to vote throughout October, holding events and educating students on how and where to vote. VOTE 3
Kidnappers release hostages, insurgents continue violence The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Kidnappers released two female Italian aid workers and five other hostages Tuesday, raising hopes for at least 18 foreigners still in captivity. But insurgents showed no sign of easing their blood-soaked campaign against the U.S. presence in Iraq, staging a show of defiance in Samarra and striking twice with deadly force in Basra. It was unclear what prompted the two separate groups of kidnappers to release the Italians, three Egyptians and two Iraqis, and whether any ransom had been paid. It was the second day in a row that foreigners were freed. The Italian women were wearing full black veils that revealed only their eyes as they were received by the Italian Red Cross in a Baghdad neighborhood, according to video broadcast by the Arab news station Al-Jazeera. Looking dazed but smiling, Simona Torretta lifted her veil and repeated, “Thank you,” in Arabic. Simona Pari hesitated before also lifting her veil. Later Tuesday, the two women were flown home aboard a Falcon 20 plane, arriving at a military airport in Rome shortly after 11 p.m. The two, now in long, white dresses, emerged smiling and held hands as they walked on the tarmac, their relatives by their side. Asked by reporters how she felt, Pari just said, “Good.” Pari and Torretta were abducted Sept. 7 in a bold raid on the Baghdad office of their aid agency “Un Ponte Per ...” (“A Bridge To ...”). Two Iraqis, Raad Ali Aziz and Mahnaz Bassam, were also seized; they too were released Tuesday. News of the release came after a Muslim leader from Italy met with an influential Muslim association in Baghdad on Tuesday to press for their freedom, though it was not immediately known if there was a connection. The two women, both 29, had been working on school and water projects in Iraq. The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai al-Aam had reported Tuesday that they could be released by Friday in return for a $1 million ransom. But Al-Arabiya TV, citing unidentified sources involved in the negotiations, said no ransom was paid. Pope John Paul II, who recently urged that all hostages held in Iraq be freed, expressed “great joy” over the release of the Italian aid workers, the Vatican said. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi went before Parliament to announce their release. “Finally a moment of joy,” Berlusconi said, as the assembly broke into applause. “The two girls are well and will be able to return to their loved ones tonight.” Four Egyptian telecommunicaIRAQ 3
About 300 students enroll annually in the insurance program By ASHLEE ANDRIDGE Daily Titan Staff
SHANNON ANCHALEECHAMAIKORN/Daily Titan
While students struggle to find parking in Lot S, outside College Park, two rows of parking remain empty each day. These spaces were recently converted from student parking into faculty parking this semester.
Cool Wave crashes on campus North Pole explorer Vidmar comes to CSUF Thursday By SIERRA F. WEBB Daily Titan Staff
He is the first to bring more than one pair of underwear on a 52-day solo expedition to the North Pole. He composes music, owns his own company and goes extreme snowboarding. He biked through Europe after leaving the states with only a one-way ticket and $98. This spring, the same man carried a 350-pound sled through 900 feet of Arctic water while swimming backwards and breaking ice with his back and head. Does this sound like a man worth talking to? This week students will get the chance as Wave Vidmar visits the Titan Student Union Portola Pavilion on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The presentation will be Vidmarʼs story of how he trekked – by himself – from the Russian coast toward the geographic North Pole for nearly a month.
He is the first American to make the mini synthesizer in order to program a journey solo and unsupported. rhythm and write lyrics,” said Vidmar, “Among those who have done it, who is also known simply as Wave. itʼs considered the most difficult expe- “When I got home I could transfer dition in the world,” Vidmar said. those compositions into the record“From there everything else is down ing studio where I could actually use hill.” instruments.” An extensive exhibit is currently on JoAnn Carter-Wells is the coordinadisplay in the Atrium tor for the masterʼs Gallery of the Pollak degree program Library and will conin instructional Among those tinue through Oct. 8. design and techwho have done The exhibit includes nology at Cal State it, it’s considered photos from the Fullerton. After the most difficult trip as well as sevVidmarʼs sponexpedition in the world. eral examples of his sors approached equipment, including her, Carter-Wells his tent and the full offered the opporWave Vidmar explorer body outfits he wore. tunity for students Vidmar broke two in the program world records by to work with swimming the farVidmar. Two of thest – 300 yards – in the programʼs the high Arctic Ocean and by spend- graduate students, Chris de Elena and ing the longest period of time – three Krishno Linville, responded. hours – in those waters. He is also the The two graduate students were first to shoot high definition video and able to meet with Vidmar in San compose music in the high arctic on a Francisco before his trip. They then solo expedition. helped to develop and design multi“I was able to use the software on WAVE 3 my Personal Digital Assistant with a
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Gerardo Carranza took a turn too quickly on his street bike last month, resulting in a fractured foot caused by a puncture wound from his kickstand. X-rays, medication and stitches were just some of the costly services he was provided with during his trip to the emergency room. But Carranza will never see any bills. He has medical insurance. “I was pretty lucky I had insurance,” he said. “If I didnʼt, it would have been outrageously expensive.” Carranza, a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, receives insurance benefits through Veterans Affairs. He said this incident helped him realize the importance of health insurance. “Itʼs really important because you never know what might happen,” he said. Uninsured Cal State Fullerton students can get health insurance through the campus, alleviating some of the worry that results from expensive hospital visits. The insurance offers a Preferred Provider Organizer plan that allows policyholders to see physicians who the insurance provider has negotiated with for services. Cathy Busby, executive assistant of Associated Students Inc. administration, said the PPO provides students with many locations close to campus. “There are 892 physicians within five miles of Cal State Fullerton who participate in the plan,” she said. Busby said that the majority of students are covered by their parentsʼ insurance, but most plans will not cover students beyond the age of 23. “Unexpected medical bills can be very expensive, running easily into thousands of dollars,” she said. “The insurance is an accident and sickness plan that covers services
not offered by the Health Center, such as hospitalization, surgery and evening or weekend medical care.” Busby said that about 300 students enroll annually in the insurance program. Undergraduate students must be taking at least six credit hours while graduates can be enrolled in any amount of credit hours at CSUF to be eligible; however, students only attending the El Toro Campus do not qualify for the insurance plan. “Because of the regular accessibility and convenience of the CSUF Health Center, El Toro students must take classes at both the El Toro and CSUF campus in order to be eligible for the insurance plan,” Busby said. Lisa Merritt, account manager for Somerton Insurance and the CSU schools, said that, according to institutional research, the top reason for undergraduate withdrawals is medical related. “Approximately 41 million Americans are currently uninsured,” she said. “Health insurance provides peace of mind from knowing that an unexpected injury or illness will not result in a financial hardship that could end your college education.” Merritt said the student plans “are geared toward meeting the needs of the average college student.” When visiting a PPO, students are responsible for 20 percent of the bill and when visiting a non-PPO doctor, students must pay 50 percent of the bill, Merritt said. The students are responsible for a $250 deductible and the policy has a $100,000 maximum lifetime benefit for each injury and sickness. Merritt said the premiums are decided on an age basis; for example, students under 24 have an annual payment of $962. She also said students must first go to the Health Center for treatment or a referral to a doctor because “the insurance will cover costs of services that are beyond the scope of what the Health Center offers.” Interested students should have their applications turned in by Oct. 7 to the TSU Information and Services Desk, Cathy Busby or go online.
American Taliban asks Bush to commute sentence Defense lawyer says Lindh was in wrong place at wrong time The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO – John Walker Lindh asked President Bush on Tuesday to commute his 20-year prison term for his 2002 conviction of aiding the Taliban. His lawyer, James Brosnahan, said Lindh was a young man in the
wrong place at the wrong time. He said Lindh was fighting alongside the Taliban in a civil war against the Northern Alliance, that heʼs not a terrorist and he never fought against U.S. troops. Brosnahan said the sentence should be reduced because Yaser Esam Hamdi also was caught aiding the Taliban in Afghanistan and is now being released after serving three years in prison. Hamdi will not be charged with any crime under an agreement
with federal officials made public Monday. Hamdi will be required to give up his American citizenship and will be sent to Saudi Arabia where he grew up. “Comparable conduct should be treated in comparable ways in terms of sentencing,” Brosnahan said during a news conference at his office. Lindhʼs mother, Marilyn Walker, said her son “has never had any sympathy or involvement in terrorist activity.” Lindh, 23, formerly of Fairfax,
pleaded guilty in civilian court to supplying services to the nowdefunct Taliban government and carrying explosives for them. He and Hamdi were both captured in late 2001. Brosnahan said he negotiated the 20-year sentence during a time when a “highest state of fear” was affecting U.S. juries, and he thought it was the best deal he could get at the time. Without the plea deal, Lindh faced life imprisonment if convicted. The request does not specify how
much of a reduction Lindh is seeking. The White House referred calls to the Justice Department. Justice Department spokesman Mark Corallo, while not commenting on the merits of Lindhʼs request, pointed out that Lindh “pleaded guilty to supporting the Taliban with his lawyers standing beside him.” “The Taliban was a brutal regime that harbored and assisted al-Qaida,” TALIBAN 3
NEWS
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“Scary Kids Scaring Kids,” a hardedged pop band, will perform a free concert at the Becker Amphitheater at noon. “Prozac is No Substitute for Justice,” presented by Mary Read, lecturer in counseling, will be held in University Hall, Room 205 at noon. The event is sponsored by the Womenʼs Center and Adult Reentry. For more information, call (714) 278-3928.
Hamas signals challenge to unseat Arafat RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians marked the fourth anniversary of their uprising Tuesday amid signs that the extremist Hamas group is preparing a political challenge to Yasser Arafat despite a series of Israeli military blows at the movementʼs leadership. Hamas published newspaper ads urging supporters to vote in upcoming municipal elections, saying “itʼs time for change.” And a top Hamas leader indicated the group might try to unseat Arafat in presidential elections, which have not yet been scheduled.
Relatives of Joseph “JoJo” Ileto will speak about hate crimes and the need for tougher legislation at 7:30 p.m. on campus. Ileto, 39, a Filipino-American postal carrier, was shot and killed in August 1999 by Buford Furrow, who told police that he killed Ileto because he “looked Asian or Hispanic.” The free event will be held in McCarthy Hall, Room 682. For more information, call (714) 278-2414.
Nation Wavering voters anti-Iraq, wary of Kerry WASHINGTON – In an election where most voters have already chosen sides, the presidency could be decided by a small slice of America in the mushy middle – wavering voters who are more likely than others to question President Bushʼs honesty and think the war in Iraq was a mistake. An Associated Press study of 1,329 “persuadable” voters, conducted by Knowledge Networks in advance of the presidential debates, suggests these people are deeply conflicted about change in the White House. While they have problems with Bush, they also have doubts about Democratic Sen. John Kerryʼs leadership skills and believe Bush is best suited to protect the nation.
All events are free and on campus unless otherwise indicated. If you would like to have a specific entry put in the calendar section, please send an e-mail to news@dailytitan.com.
Weather
Montreal Expos moving to Washington WASHINGTON - Major League Baseball will announce Wednesday that Washington will be the new home of the Montreal Expos, bringing the national pastime back to the nationʼs capital for the first time in 33 years, The Associated Press has learned. A city official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington has been notified by Major League Baseball of the impending announcement.
State
FORECAST
JACQUELINE LOVATO/Daily Titan
Strong earthquake shakes Central Calif. PARKFIELD, Calif. – A strong earthquake shook the state Tuesday from Los Angeles to San Francisco, cracking pipes, breaking bottles of wine and knocking pictures from walls. There were no immediate reports of any injuries from the 6.0-magnitude quake and its more than 160 aftershocks. The crash occurred in front of hundreds of people who were at the small Orange County airport for “Airport Day.”
Look-alike possible target in Peterson case REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Scott Petersonʼs defense lawyers suggested Monday that his pregnant wifeʼs abduction and murder may have been the result of mistaken identity by perpetrators seeking to attack a virtual look-a-like. Defense lawyer Mark Geragos noted during questioning of Modesto police Detective Craig Grogan that authorities had received a tip early on from a woman whom the lawyer only identified as “Michelle” about the possibility that Laciʼs killing may have been a mistake. The woman worked as a prosecutor in Merced County and lived near the Petersonsʼ home in Modesto, Geragos said. He described her as looking very similar to Laci Peterson and noted the woman had given birth to a child in October 2002. The woman walked her dog – oddly, the same kind the Petersons had with the same name, McKenzie – in the Petersonsʼ neighborhood. Reports compiled from The Associated Press
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Shawna Bennett assists her gymnasts on the uneven bars during their practice on Sept. 28. The CSUF Youth Gymnastics Program coaches kids ages 4 to 18 years with various programs. The gymnasts meet everyday and practice for five hours.
Events
IN HISTORY
Sept. 27
1919: Democratic National Committee votes to allow female members. 1923: New York Yankee Lou Gehrig hits first of his 493 home runs.
Sept. 28
1542: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo discovers California, at San Diego Bay. 1904: A woman is arrested for smoking a cigarette in a car on 5th Avenue in New York City. 1971: The New York Times
reports a growing interest of white youth in black gospel music.
Sept. 29
1922: Mussolini asks the Vatican for its support of a fascist party program. 1930: New York City College offers the first course in radio advertising. 1989: Zsa Zsa Gabor is convicted of slapping a police officer in Beverly Hills. 1994: The first phase of the O.J. Simpson murder trial jury selection ends; 304 jurors are chosen.
Sept. 30
1962: James Meredith registers for classes at University of Mississippi and John F. Kennedy routes 3,000
federal troops to Mississippi. 1980: Iran rejects a truce call from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. 1993: General Colin Powell retires at 56.
Oct. 1
1890: Yosemite National Park forms. 1903: The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Pilgrims (Red Sox) play each other in the first baseball World Series. 1934: Adolf Hitler expands German army and navy and creates an air force, violating the Treaty of Versailles. 1987: Six people die in an earthquake measuring 6.1 in L.A. Compiled from www.brainyhistory.com
Wednesday, Sept. 29 A.M. Clouds/P.M. Sun Low 60°
73°
Thursday, Sept. 30 Partly Cloudy Low 58°
72°
Friday, Oct. 1 Partly Cloudy Low 58°
76°
Compiled from The Weather Channel
Online Poll www.dailytitan.com Who are you voting for this November? Badnarik (Libertarian) Brown (Socialist) Bush (Republican) Cobb (Green) Kerry (Democrat) Weill (Reform)
NEWS
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Wednesday, September 29, 2004 3
Gov. inks more bills Schwarzenegger protects women, children, athletes By STEVE LAWRENCE The Associated Press
SIERRA F. WEBB/Daily Titan
A subzero jacket and matching pants are on display at CSUF’s library.
WAVE
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media curriculum, including a tutorial and a simulation that allowed students and teachers to follow Vidmarʼs expedition. “Weʼre very excited, a lot of people are coming to the presentation Thursday. Weʼve had a lot of calls from all of the schools we invited,” said Carter-Wells, who is also coordinating the production and taking reservations. In early November, Vidmar will leave again, this time heading to the South Pole, which is reportedly easier than the north. According to Vidmarʼs Web site and his sponsors, World Wide Learn, the North Pole is in the middle of the ocean and is simply covered by constantly moving glaciers, whereas the South Pole is an actual continent surrounded by the ocean. At least on this trip he wonʼt have to worry about polar bears.
While on his trek, Vidmar suffered a compression fracture, torn ligaments and a damaged nerve in his ankle. That didnʼt stop him; he continued to travel another 140 miles despite the constant pain. He “repaired” the injury using duct tape, following his doctorsʼ orders. On April 9, Vidmarʼs log reported an encounter with a mother bear and her two cubs. He recalled how at age 13 on his first solo trip to Yosemite Valley for a month of climbing, he had a bear ʻpooʼ on his sleeping bag while he was still sleeping in it. A determined Vidmar was unable to reach his destination, the North Pole, without assistance due to the early closure of the ice station and the politics of funding. He reports that he will try again next spring. He said that his greatest hope is to “inspire positive change in this world, both for the present and future.”
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed bills Tuesday to protect pregnant woman and young children against mercury-containing vaccines, young athletes against discrimination in local sports programs and computer users against “spyware.” Schwarzenegger also signed legislation that will continue to subsidize rural telephone rates, a step the billʼs author said will save phone customers in remote parts of California as much as $130 a month. “I couldnʼt even mail a letter with the 31 cents Iʼd save if the subsidy program went away,” said Sen. Debra Bowen, a Los Angeles area Democrat. “That money does a lot more good by keeping phone rates down, because without it there are plenty of people and businesses in the state who simply wouldnʼt be able to afford the simple, basic
IRAQ
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tions workers abducted last week were also freed, their parent company, Orascom, announced in Cairo. One of the Egyptians was released Monday and the rest on Tuesday, said the company. Two other Egyptian employees remain in captivity. The Egyptian charge dʼaffaires in Baghdad, Farouq Mabrouk, said the kidnappings were “motivated by financial reasons.” But an Orascom spokesman declined to comment on whether a ransom had been paid. More than 140 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq – some by anti-U.S. insurgents and others by criminals seeking ransom. At least 26 have been killed, including two Americans whose beheadings were recorded on grisly video footage and posted on the Internet last week. A Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said this weekʼs back-to-back releases raised hopes for those still in captivity, including British hostage Kenneth Bigley, who was captured with the Americans from their Baghdad house on Sept. 16. But with so many different groups involved in the kidnappings, the dip-
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phone service people in urban areas take for granted.” The vaccine bill, by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, DAgoura Hills, will prohibit injecting vaccines containing more than a trace of mercury into pregnant women and children under age three unless state officials declare a public health emergency. Mercury is a toxin that can damage the nervous system, kidneys and liver. Itʼs also been linked to increasing rates of autism in children. Rick Rollens, a member of the board of the Autism Society of America, said Schwarzeneggerʼs decision to sign the bill would send “a strong message that vaccines that contain mercury have no place in the veins of Californiaʼs pregnant women and young children.” But the Republican governor vetoed a bill by Assemblyman Dario Frommer, D-Los Angeles, that would have set up a state autism information center to help parents with autistic children find support and services. Schwarzenegger contended that 21 regional centers already provide adequate help for those parents. Schwarznegger also signed a bill by Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, that will ban sex
discrimination in youth athletic programs run by cities, counties and special districts. School sports are barred by federal law from discriminating on that basis. Steinberg said his bill will end “rampant disparities” in local government athletic programs for girls and boys. The “spyware” bill, by Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City, will bar a person or company from secretly placing software on a personal computer to collect information about the computerʼs owner. Schwarzenegger also signed bills that will: give hospital medical staffs certain self-governance rights; create new procedures to challenge paternity judgments based on genetic testing; authorize use of another $100 million in lease-revenue bonds to complete veterans homes in West Los Angeles, Lancaster, Ventura, Fresno and Redding. He vetoed bills that would have allowed schools to teach courses about personal finance and government attorneys to report improper government conduct to law enforcement without violating the attorney-client privilege.
Sabrina Sanders, coordinator of the Volunteer and Service Center and spokesperson for REACT, said she feels this election is especially important for college students. “The amount of issues affecting young people is huge,” Sanders said. “Students arenʼt using their voting power. The only way to have a voice is to vote.” ASI, along with other volunteer groups on campus, will be holding a voter mobilization week from Oct. 12 to Oct. 15. “Weʼre expecting a lot more young people to vote this election,” Sanders said. Statewide Day of Action, scheduled for Oct. 14, signifies the main day for campuses to come together and get students to register. Courtney Patterson, ASI director of statewide affairs, said she has high hopes for the initial outcome. “Our goal is to get 5,001 students registered on this campus,” she said. On Oct. 26, there will also be an early voting day on campus, where registered residents of Orange County can vote before the election. Organizers said they hope to give registered voters an additional chance to vote in case they donʼt have time to find a ballot in November. “We have so much power [politically],” Mohammadi said. “But we donʼt because we donʼt vote.”
lomat cautioned against drawing any conclusion. A man identified as a French negotiator told Al-Arabiya that he has met two French journalists held hostage here for over a month and secured a promise for their release. He did not give a time frame, and said there was no demand for ransom. Negotiators were also able to secure a promise from the kidnappers “to make an audiotape in which they announce the imminent release of the two,” said the man, identified by the station as Philippe Brett. A French foreign ministry spokesman in Paris, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “We do not have any knowledge of the accord mentioned on Al-Arabiya.” In a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press in Cairo and also posted on a discussion board of the Iraq Islamic Army, the kidnappers of the journalists praised Franceʼs “positive steps toward the Iraqi people,” a sign that the hostage-takers may be softening their anti-French position. The group said it hoped “this is a beginning for a new era of understanding our issues and respect of our constants.” Meanwhile, dozens of masked
gunmen carrying flags of Iraqʼs most feared terror group drove down the main street of the central city of Samarra in a show of strength Tuesday for the first time since U.S. troops briefly entered the central city this month under a deal brokered with tribal leaders. The militants, loyal to terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, stopped some cars, asking the occupants to hand over music tapes in exchange for ones with recitations from the Muslim holy book, the Quran. The city north of Baghdad has been under insurgent control and a virtual “no-go” area for U.S. troops since May 30. Al-Zarqawiʼs Tawhid and Jihad group has claimed responsibility for a series of bombings and kidnappings, including those of Bigley and the two slain Americans, Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley. Intelligence reports indicate the alQaida-linked group has been forced to reorganize its leadership, the military said in a statement. On a day that saw attacks scattered across the country, insurgents ambushed a British military convoy near the comparatively peaceful southern city of Basra, killing two soldiers, the Ministry of Defense in London said. The soldiersʼ names were withheld pending family notification. Also in Basra on Tuesday, gunmen killed five members of Iraqʼs intelligence agency as they were returning a civilian rescued from kidnappers to his family, said Maj. Jasim al-Darraji, an intelligence
officer. In Baghdad, American troops and insurgents clashed Tuesday along central Haifa Street, an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman said, and heavy explosions rocked the city. There was no immediate word on casualties. Haifa Street, an insurgent stronghold, has been the scene of bloody car bomb attacks, raids and fierce firefights. Dozens of suspected insurgents have been arrested there, including Syrian, Sudanese and Egyptian nationals. The fighting came after a roadside bomb exploded on another main Baghdad roadway early Tuesday, wounding three civilians. The attack on Karrada Street also damaged several vehicles and shattered windows, witnesses said. Despite the persistent violence, the U.S. military claimed to be making progress in its attempts to wrest control from insurgents in key parts of the country ahead of elections slated for January, Weeks of airstrikes targeting followers of al-Zarqawi have exacted a heavy toll on fighters in the rebelheld city of Fallujah, the military said in a statement Tuesday. American forces struck a suspected hide-out used by “rising” associated of al-Zarqawi in Fallujah early Tuesday, the military said. Another site believed to be used by the network in central Baghdad was raided Tuesday, it said in a separate statement. A search uncovered enough weapons to stage multiple attacks, it said.
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Corallo said. “It should be pointed out we are currently engaged in a global war on terrorism against alQaida and remnants of the Taliban.” Last year, Lindh was attacked in a California prison outside Los Angeles and suffered a bruised forehead. Lindh was tackled by an inmate who hit him while screaming obscenities. Frank Zimring, a University of California, Berkeley, legal scholar and an expert on clemency, said it was unlikely the president would reduce Lindhʼs term, especially during a presidential election focused on the war on terror. In all, the president has commuted the terms of two prisoners, both on May 20. The president commuted the sentence of Bobby Mac Berry, of Burlington, N.C., who had been sentenced to 108 months in prison in 1997 for marijuana and money laundering convictions. The release was effective the following week. Bush also commuted the sentence of Geraldine Gordon, convicted in Las Vegas of a drug distribution charge in 1989 and sentenced to 240 months in prison. Gordonʼs release was effective Sept. 20.