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^ v _-. ...t - -t ■ - 31 V^MTUr-.l —- . . . | __ ^^ University of South Carolina FRinAV fiPTORFR OR OflHO Vol.96,No.30 www.dailygamecock.com riMUnlj yJKjWJxjU-W^.O^Z.KjKJZ. - Since 1908 Bush rallies GOP in Columbia PHOTO BY MICHAEL LAFORGIA/THE GAMECOCK Bush speaks about war with Iraq and campaigns for South Carolina Republican candidates at Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Police question two arrested in sniper slayings L Ballistics tests link suspects to shooting spree BY STEPHEN MANNING THE ASSOCIATED mss One of America’s most ex traordinary manhunts culminat ed Thursday in the arrests of an Army veteran and a teenager, asleep at a roadside rest stop — perpetrators, authorities think, of a bloody, three-week sniping spree that left 10 people dead and multi tudes paralyzed by fear. ^ John Allen Muhammad, 41,— - arrested with John Lee Malvo, 17 — appeared in court, and was or dered held without bail. Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said both men were considered suspects in the sniper attacks. A gun found in the suspects’ car — a Bushmaster rifle — had been linked by ballistics to 11 of the 13 shootings, said Michael Bouchard, an agent with the fed eral Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The AR-15 is the civilian form of the M-16 military assault rifle. As a soldier, Muhammad received a Marksmanship Badge with ex pert rating — the highest of three ratings — in use of the M-16, ac cording to Army records. Police also found a scope and tripod in the car, the official said. In handcuffs and a green prison jumpsuit, Muhammad ap peared in federal court in a Baltimore courthouse patrolled by a dozen federal marshals armed with high-powered rifles. Muhammad is due back in court Tuesday on a federal firearms charge stemming from a 2000 court order in Tacoma, Wash., that barred Muhammad from harassing or using force against an ex-wife and children. U.S. District Court Magistrate Beth P. Gesner made no mention of the sniper killings. Muhammad spoke little during the 10-minute hearing. When Gesner asked him ♦ SNIPER, SEE PAGE 2 An officer guards an entrance to the U.S. Court House In Baltimore, where the two men arrested in connection with the recent sniper shootings are being held. Index Comics and Crossword_ 7 Classifieds 10 Horoscopes__7 d Letters to the Editor _4 Online Poll 4 Police Report 2 Weather TODAY High 67 Low 58 TOMORROW High 74 Low 58 It Inside ♦ THE MIX Students have a chance to get video footage on the “Late Late Show.” Page 5 ♦ VIEWPOINTS Brook Bristow addresses the perils and benefits of drinking. Page 4 ♦ THE MIX The Center for Southern African-American Music celebrates its opening with a gospel tribute. Page 5 ♦ SPORTS USC senior class leads the volleyball team into its biggest weekend of the season. Page 8 BY MICHAEL LAFORGIA THE GAMECOCK President Bush addressed campaign issues and possible war with Iraq Thursday in a last minute campaign effort for South Carolina’s Republican candi dates. The event was held at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport’s Jimmy Doolittle Flight Facility to support South Carolina guber natorial candidate Mark Sanford and United States senatorial can didate Lindsey Graham. S.C. Republican Party execu tive assistant Adam Shaw, a fourth-year USC political science student, spoke before the presi dent arrived. “In the last few years, the governor’s office has become bilingual, and truth is the second language,” he said. “In 12 days, Mark Sanford is going to be elected governor, and our four year nightmare will be over.” Bush took the podium at noon. "We’ve got some steep hills to climb, but there’s no doubt in my mind we can climb them — after all, we’re the greatest nation on the face of the Earth,” he said. Bush praised the two candi dates and addressed state educa tion, welfare reform, the national economy, Medicare and the ap pointment of federal judges. He also spoke about terrorism and possible military action in Iraq. “You’ve got to understand there’s an enemy out there that hates America because of what we love,” Bush said. “We love freedom. We love the fact that people can worship freely in America. We love our free press. We love every aspect of our free dom, and we’re not changing. We’re not backing down, and the enemy can’t stand that.” The president called Saddam Hussein “a man who has lied about whether or not he possess es weapons of mass destruction, a man who uses them, a man who hates America, a man who hates our friends. For the sake of peace, for the sake of the security of the United States and our friends and allies, if the United Nations won’t deal with him, if he refuses to hear the call for peace, the United States will lead a coalition to dis arm Saddam Hussein,” Bush said. USC College Republicans Chairman Charles Duncan ap plauded Bush’s sentiments. “It’s obvious that the people of Iraq want Saddam out,” he said. “They’re ready to get rid of him, and we-can get him out. He’s caused too much trouble for too long.” Joey Oppermann, a third-year history student, disagreed. “President Bush is using a tac tic to characterize Iraq as a group that hates the United States for our freedom,” Oppermann said. “We aren’t hated for our freedom; we’re hated because we support Israel.”' “The president is oversimpli fying the situation in Iraq,” he said. “There are several ways to go about securing stability in the Middle East. The question is, which is the best?" Oppermann helped organize the anti-war teach-in at Preston College this month. ♦ BUSH, SEEPAGE 2 ‘IT’S A PARTY ON YOUR BIKE’ PHOTO BY CANDI HAUGLUM/THE GAMECOCK V Wearing a sign that says “We are traffic,” Katie McClendon leads a group of cyclists out of the Horseshoe and onto the road. The group rode as part of Critical Mass, a nationwide movement proclaiming bikers have as much right to the road as cars do. Critical Mass pushes bike use Cyclists ride to promote safety on Columbia’s main streets BY KATHERINE HALLORAN THE GAMECOCK In an effort to promote bicycle use, student organizations and bicyclists participated in Columbia’s first Critical Mass on Thursday’s “Bike to School/Work Day.” Critical Mass is an event that began in San Francisco in 1992 to inspire people to use bicycles as a means of transportation. It has gradually become more popular throughout the United States. Katie McClendon, Student Government director of safety and fourth-year pharmacy stu dent, has worked with Students Allied for a Greener Earth to help raise awareness of bicycle rights and bicycle safety. As an avid cy clist, McClendon thinks if more students rode bikes to school, it would help alleviate some park ing problems, though it, would not solve the problem. Having been hit twice by cars on Greene Street, McClendon said she would feel safer if more “Share the Road” signs were displayed. “I am excited about Critical Mass and it’s not about protest ing; it’s a celebration of cycling. It’s basically a great opportunity to meet with people who share the same interests,” she said. “We won’t be blocking traffic be cause we are traffic.” After the Critical Mass ride was over, McClendon said, “It was awesome; we got the atten tion that we were looking for.” She added, “I’m glad it wasn’t just me and the two police officers that showed up!” ♦ BIKES, SEE PAGE 3 Scholars to discuss the South at forum BY MICHAEL LAFORGIA THE GAMECOCK use will play host to the 2002 Southerp Studies Forum this weekend, which brings together international scholars to discuss the American South. The forum, which begins to day in the Capstone Campus Room and lasts through Monday, will bring together scholars from France, Germany, England, the Czech Republic, Scandinavia and the United States. The event’s theme is “The South as Another Place,” and it will cover such topics as vio lence, slavery, the Southern woman, contemporary Southern literature, race and Southern writer Cormac McCarthy. “There is a tremendous inter est in many European universi ties in the American South,” said Bob Ellis of the Institute for Southern Studies, which is spon soring the event. Institute for Southern Studies director and forum chairman Dr. Walter Edgar said, “Europeans long have been fascinated with the people, history and literature of the American South, and their interest in its study is growing.” “European scholars who study contemporary Southern literature are way ahead and are often the first to study certain au thors and books,” Edgar said, and “their perspectives on the American South enrich the re search and the understanding of the region.” European scholars, such as Faulkner experts Lothar Hoennighausen and Hans Skei and Welty scholar Danielle Pitavy-Souques, will present dur ing the forum. Bobby Donaldson of the USC History Department and African- American Studies Program and Valinda Littlefield of the USC History Department will also give presentations. They will participate with sev ♦ SCHOLARS, SEE PAGE 3 6 Strutting her stuff PHOTO BY MARK BISSET/THE GAMECOCK Nicole Roberts performs as a female impersonator in “The Birdcage,” sponsored by the Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Alliance and Carolina Productions. ----J