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Hodges: businesses want dialogue
by Leigh Strope
Associated Press
Columbia — Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges, who
had remained on the sidelines of Confederate flag
debate, said Thursday business leaders who want the
banner removed from the Statehouse dome prompt
ed him to call a series of meetings to discuss the is
sue.
The governor invited about 20 lawmakers, busi
ness leaders and officials from the state’s two largest
universities to meet with him privately Friday. But
no invitation was extended to the National Associ
ation for the Advancement of Colored People, which
has called for a tourism boycott of South Carolina
until the flag is removed.
Hodges promised in last year’s election he would
not actively try to bring down the flag, but would
sign a compromise agreed on by the Legislature.
Hodges until now has not publicly pushed the
issue — triggering criticism by the NAACP.
“I think it’s a good time here, a month or a month
and a half before the session, to bring the legislative
leaders together—who do control the ultimate res
olution of this issue — with these business leaders
and let them hear directly some of the concerns
they’ve raised,” Hodges said.
Republicans question Hodges’ timing in light of
last week’s poll that gave the governor mediocre
marks for job performance. Seven percent of re
spondents thought the governor has done an excel
lent job, 40 percent thought he has done a good
job and 37 percent thought he has done a fair job.
“He’s clearly in campaign mode,” said Luke
Byars, spokesman for Republican Lt. Gov. Bob Peel
er, a flag supporter.
“That’s simply not true,” Hodges said. “The poll
numbers actually are good. It has nothing to do with
that. I’m calling the meeting because I think that’s
what a responsible leader should do.”
But Hodges until this week has shirked criticism
by maintaining that a resolution rests with the
Legislature, which has the sole authority to remove
the flag. He has said lawmakers lack the political
will to tackle the issue again after several failed at
tempts in the past few years.
Former Republican Gov. David Beasley’s cam
paign to take it down has been cited as one reason
he lost his re-election bid to Hodges in November.
Flag supporters who backed Hodges in last year’s
election based on his promise have said they feel be
trayed. The Council of Conservative Citizens has
called a news conference an hour before Hodges’
meeting today to discuss the flag.
“I don’t see anything wrong with calling legis
lators together with business leaders to talk about
this issue,” Hodges said. “I see nothing inconsistent
with anything I’ve said in the past.”
Graphic photos depict executions
by Jackie Hallifax
Associated Press
Tallahassee — Hundreds of thousands, if not millions,
of people around the world have logged onto the Florida
Supreme Court’s \feb site to look at grisly color photos.
of the last killer executed in the state’s electric chair.
The photos depict the bloody body and contorted face
of Allen Lea “Tiny” Davis, who was put to death in Ju
ly. Th§ pictures were posted by the high court because
they figured in a case in which the justices upheld the use
of the electric chair.
Some of those who have gone online for a look, par
ticularly Europeans, were appalled. A Frenchman sent a
one-word piece of e-mail: “Barbarians.”
■ “ When Europeans think of Florida, they think of Dis
ney Viforld, beaches and fiery electrocutions,” said Michael
Radelel, a sociologist at the University of Florida who has
researched capital punishment and opposes it.
But many Americans seemed to approve of both the
execution and the posting of the pictures.
“The photos on this website are WONDERFUL!" a
woman from North Redington Beach, Fla., e-mailed the
court.
Davis, who weighed about 350 pounds, was execut
ed for the 1982 murders of a pregnant woman are! ha" two
young daughters. He suffered a nosebleed just before the
current was applied, and blood poured from behind the
mask over Ms face, soaking Ms wMte shirt.
A judge ruled that the chair operated correctly, and
the state Supreme Court upheld that decision, 4-3. But
Justice Leander Shaw xwotea^istering dissent, charging
that Davis was “brutally tortured to death.” He also at
tached the three photos.
Like all decisions by the state Supreme Court, the
Sept, 24 oprnion was posted on the court’s Wfeb site, at
wwwjira.edu/supct/deathwarrants.
“It seemed to explode into mi international news sto
ry, and it seems to re-explode every couple of weeks,”
court spokesman Craig Waters said Thursday.
The photos were also sent to tire US Supreme Court,
wMch on Tuesday agreed to consider the constitutional
ity of electrocution and suspended use of the electric chair.
It is the first review of the electric chair by the nation’s
high court in more than a century.
The public can access the Web page through two
servers. The smaller server has crashed several times
and sometimes creeps along. The number of hits destroyed
the program that counts visitors to the site.
“It probably is in the millions, but there simply is no
way of knowing,” V&ters said.
Howard Simon, executive director of the American
Civil Liberties UMon of Florida, wMch opposes tire death
penalty, approved of the release of the pictures.
British court legitimizes
'spousal' gay relationships
Staff Reports
Associated PRess _
London — In a landmark judgment for
same-sex couples, Britain’s highest court
ruled Thursday that a gay man is entitled
to remain in the state-subsidized apartment
leased by his dead partner — a right re
stricted by law to spouses or “family” mem
bers.
In a 3-2 ruling, a House of Lords judi
cial panel said that Martin Fitzpatrick, who
lived with John Thompson for more than
20 years in a monogamous relationship,
was entitled to take over the lease of an
apartment which was in Thompson’s name.
Giving the majority judgment, Lord
Justice Donald Nicholls said a man and
woman living together in a stable and per
manent sexual relationship, but not mar
ried, can be regarded as a “family” under
Britain’s Rent Act.
“There can be no rational or other ba
sis on which the like conclusion can be
withheld from a similarly stable and per
manent sexual relationship between two
men or between two women,” the judge
said.
Fitzpatrick, a former member of the
Royal Navy, and Thompson, a silversmith,
met in 1969 and in 1976 moved into the
apartment. Thompson suffered brain dam
age in 1985 and was cared for by Fitzpatrick
He died in 1994.
The Court of Appeal ruled in 1997 that
Fitzpatrick couldn’t take over the lease be
cause the Rent Act didn’t apply to same
sex couples. Fitzpatrick’s lawyers argued
that he had the right to stay either as a
“spouse” or a “family member.”
Stonewall, a group which campaigns
for gay and lesbian equality, said the ruling
was the lint time that lesbian and gay re
lationships have been defined as a family
in Britain.“All over the wojld, govern
ments and courts are coming to similar con
clusions. This country has lagged behind
the developments,” Stonewall executive
director Angela Mason said.
The two law Lords who dissented said
Parliament should first change the Rent
Act.
World Briefs
■ Contaminated hot
dogs found in N.Y.
New York — Health officials are in
vestigating two deaths and six cases of
illness to determine whether they were
caused by contaminated hot dogs from
a New York City plant, the federal Cen
ters for Disease Control said Thursday.
Hot dogs made at the Bronx facto
ry and distributed nationally were re
called after listeria, a food-borne bacte
ria, was found. The plant makes hot dogs
sold under the brands Sabrett’s and West
ern Beef.
Listeria found in an unopened pack
age of Sabrett’s hot dogs appeared to be
similar to a strain of bacteria found in
eight patients in Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Georgia and Rhode Island, CDC
spokesman Tom Skinner said. Two of the
eight have died.
Skinner said the CDC hadn’t con
firmed that hot dogs caused the illness
es.
Marathon Enterprises Inc., which
operates the plant, shut it and recalled
about 52,000 pounds of hot dogs Oct.
13. It expanded the recall Tuesday to 2.1
million pounds of frankfurters bearing
the code EST 8854 inside the USQ\ seal
of inspection.
■ Dan Rather issued
subpoena in dragging
death case
Jasper, Texas—Prosecutors have be
gun the process of subpoenaing CBS an
chorman Dan Rather to testify at the
murder trial of the third white man
chaiged in the dragging death of a black,
man.
Prosecutors want to ask Rather about '
an interview he did last month with the
defendant, Shawn Berry. The inter
view aired on “60 Minutes II” on
Sept. 28. In it, Berry said that he tried to
stop the attack but that he backed off
when one of his alleged accomplices,
John W. King, threatened him.
State District Judge Bob Golden ap
proved the subpoena Tuesday, ruling that
Rather is a “material and necessary wit
ness.” The judge ordered the newsman’s
presence for about two weeks, starting"
Nov. 9.
The subpoena must be approved by
ajudgeinNewYork.
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For Staff who contribute to the Family Fund
Weight Room Orientation
Beginning Friday, October 29, 1999 and
continuing every Friday until December 3, 1999
Participants will be taken in groups of four for half-hour
appointments beginning at 11:30 AM and ending at 1:30 PM
Pi ay come for one day or every Friday.
ThiHjAen aw to
effectivePj»We the weight room set up
a personal weights
All participants w‘ shirt!
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Sign up at the Campus Recreation front desk
202 Blatt PE Center
777-1827