Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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' 4 • NAACP decides to continue boycott by Paul Shepard Associated Press Washington—The national NAACP decided Saturday to continue its economic boycott against South Carolina over the state’s flying of the Confederate flag atep its Capitol. “It is not just a piece of cloth. This is about the dignity of people,” Kweisi Mfume, the president of the civil rights group, said at the NAACP’s 91st annual meeting. Leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also announced plans for a march next month on the Florida Capitol in Talla hassee to protest Gov. Jeb Bush’s move to eliminate racial and gender preferences in admissions at the state’s 10 public uni versities and in granting state contracts. “We are hoping to send a message to Governor Bush and others attempting to deny opportunity that the NAACP won’t go away quietly on this issue,” said Mfume, who hopes 20,000 people will participate in the rally. Mfume and Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP board, outlined the organi zation's agenda for 2000, which includes combating racism, saving affirmative ac tion and registering about 4 million vot ers nationally. On the same day as South Carolina’s important GOP presidential primary, Mfume took the opportunity to stress the NAACP’s resolve to stick with the boy cott until the flag is lowered. “This is the same flag that was em braced by the Ku Klux Klan when it was founded,” Mfume said, adding, “The flag will come down. It’s just a matter of when.” The NAACP started a nationwide tourism boycott of the state aimed at removing the flag on Jan. 1. The goal of the nation’s oldest civil rights organiza tion, with 500,000 members in 2,200 branches, was to pressure the South Car olina Legislature to lower the flag or risk losing the estimated $280 million. Those who support the flag, which has flown over the Statehouse since 1962, say it honors Southern heritage. Oppo nents say it is a symbol of racism and slav ery. State legislators, with the sole pow er to lower the banner, are struggling with what to do. Last week, South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges proposed moving the Civil War-era flag from the Statehouse dome, saying it should be placed at a Confeder ate monument on the Capitol’s grounds. “This compromise we were offered is unacceptable and is non-negotiable,” Mfume said. Bond said Hodges’ compromise would “move the flag from a place of honor above the Capitol and give it a place of honor on the Capitol steps.” Bond said the NAACP would agree to having the flag displayed in a Con federate relic room near the Capitol or in a glass case inside the Capitol. In opinion column, Hodges says his plan is best Associated Press Legislators who oppose a plan to move the Confederate flag from the Statehouse dome to the \^ade Hamp ton Memorial on Statehouse grounds don’t want the flag taken down at all Gov. Jim Hodges says. “There are other ideas out there,” Hodges said in an opinion column in Sunday’s The State. “Let me tell you the problem with them. They won’t work. They can't pass our Legisla ture, and, unfortunately, I believe some of the people who are promoting them know that. In some cases, what those people actually want is nothing.... They favor the status quo for one reason or another.” Hodges, a Democrat, announced his proposal last Monday that would take the battle flag off the Capitol building and remove the Confederate flags from the Senate and House chambers and re place them with the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia at the Hamp ton Memorial. Hampton was a Civil \%r general from South Carolina. Hodges said his proposal will work because it has broad support from De mocrats and Republicans, blacks and whites, as well as many business and community leaders. GOP primary race moves to Michigan by David Espo ® Associated Press East Lansing, Mich.—Fresh from a South Car olina triumph, Geoige W. Bush said Sunday he was campaigning to “bring our counfry together.” John McCain called his Republican rival a big-spender, then taunted, “if he’s a reformer, I’m an astronaut.” Both men moved through the first day of a tight ly compressed campaign in Michigan as the pace of the Republican presidential nomination battle quick ened. It fell to McCain, the underdog in uncontested need of a win, to outline the stakes. “We won round one,” he said, referring to his landslide in New Hampshire’s presidential primary on Feb. 1. “Governor Bush won round two,” a lop sided win in South Carolina. “Now we go to round three,” he said. Bush strategists were hoping South Carolina would give their man the momentum. McCain coun tered with an endorsement from Rep. Peter King, R-.N.Y., who had supported Bush but said he was put off by the candidate’s appeal in South Caroli na. One poll, taken before South Carolina voted, rated Michigan a toss-up. It had Bush ahead in the GOP strongholds and McCain running stronger in the areas where independent voters and blue collar, Reagan-style Democrats reside. With the primary set for Tuesday, there was no time for either campaign to make new television commercials, or even purchase additional time on the state’s stations. Bush, the Texas governor, flew in Saturday night and headed straight for the Republican strongholds around Grand Rapids. “Obviously, last night lifted my spirits and my spirits are still high,” he said after attending Sun day morning church services. He added, “I’m going to continue to talk about how to bring our country together. I’m going to talk about a better tomorrow.” Bush also underscored a theme he had used in South Carolina, that Democrats shouldn’t choose the Republican nominee. His remarks had a distinctly Michigan cast, as he cited the example of Geoffrey Fieger, lawyer for suicide advocate Jack Kervorkian, who he said had been “making noises” about vot ing. Republicans should say to him, “You’re not going to pick the Republican nominee,” Bush said of Fieger. Exit polls in South Carolina showed that Bush’s claim to be a “reformer with results” had con nected, and also that voters believed McCain, more than his rival, had engaged in unfair attacks. That left McCain with a tricky task of trying to underscore his conservative credentials at the same time he was angling to undercut Bush’s Michigan see page m ‘If Governor Bush is a reformer, I’m an astronaut.’ John McCain Arizona senator News Briefs ■ NATO-led troops search for weapons in Kosovo town Kosovska Mitrovica, Yugoslavia (AP) —About 2,500 NATO-led soldiers fanned out across this ethnically divided Kosovo town early Sunday, conducting a massive operation of house-to-house searches for weapons, a NATO spokesman said, after weeks of violent clashes here. Troops from 12 countries, including the United States, France, Germany and Canada, set out shortly after dawn to con duct a major sweep in selected areas of both the Serb and ethnic Albanian-con trolled sides of town, Lt. Cmdr. Philip Anido, a NATO spokesman, said. They were assisted by scores of U.N. police. The soldiers in Sunday’s operation were going from “house to house and building to building,” searching areas where peacekeepers suspect there might be weapons and criminal activity linked to the violence of the past several weeks, Anido said. He said earlier that anyone found with weapons or “suspected of spread ing hatred and violence” would be ar rested. ■ Police use underage drinking raid to find witnesses Newark, N.J. (AP) — Frustrated by an investigation grown cold, authorities used a raid on underage drinking at a pop ular bar to round up potential witnesses to a deadly dorm fire at Seton Hall University, The Slur-Ledger of Newark reported Sunday. Nearly a dozen of the students ar rested during the raid at the New Hall Tavern just before 1:30 am. Friday were given subpoenas to testily Tuesday be fore a grand jury looking into the fire, the newspaper said. Investigatois had ex pected the group to be at the bar. The Jan. 19 blaze killed three freshmen and injured 62 people. Law en forcement sources, whom the newspa per did not identify, said their investi gation has been hampered because some students have been withholding infor mation. 15th Annual Auction Baptist Student Union m Tonight!! February 21 @ 7:00pm Russell House Ballroom Special Guest Auctioneers: • Student Body President Malik Husse • Ken Owens, SC Baptist Convention B • • Winston Tickets- Lowe’s Motor Speedway • VCR- Badcock Furnishing • Lou Holtz- Autographed Football • Gift certificates- Yesterdays, Fatz, New Orleans • Artwork- Columbia and Charleston • Athletic Clubs- Lady’s Choice, Columbia... • Signed Tunnelvision Print- Blue Sky • And much more!!! Come Help Support Summer Missions!!! » • _ _ University of South Carolina Baptist Student Union A _ 700 Fickens St. __ Columbia, SC 29201 eariaik BSUUSCtS Compusewe.com BAPTIST CAMPUS MINISTRY Wellness February, 28-March 31,2000 The Wellness Days contest is a 5 week program sponsored by Wellness Works. Each week has a specific screening or service that is worth points. The goal is to collect as many points possible during this 5 week period. The points can then be used to "buy" prizes. SCHfcLMJLfc. Ut fcVfcJNlfr Week 1: February 28th-March 3rd Blood Pressure Screening (25 points) Week 2: March 6th-March 10th Cholesterol Screening (50 points) Week 3: March 13th-March 17th Percent Body Fat Estimation (10 points) Week 4: March 21st, 22nd, and 23rd Personal Wellness Profile Class (50 points) Week 5: March 24th-March 31st Pick up 3 wellness brochures (15 points) BONUS POINTS Each event is worth 10 points Seated Chair Massage Drop-In Meditation* Faculty/Staff Aerobics Self-Hypnosis* Adult CPR (3/14 & 3/28) •Counseling and Fluman Development Center Prizes 25 points=Sports Towel 50 points= Sun Visor 75 points= Mouse pad 100 points= Wellness Works Apron 125 points= Steno Pad Holder 150 points= Wellness Works T-shirt All of the above screenings will take place in the Wellness Works Resource Center, located in the P.E. Center. For information or to receive a registration packet, contact Michelle Bousman at 777-6518 or e-mail Wellness@gwm.sc.edu • • Hurry, the last day to register is Thursday, March 2nd!!! Student Health Services * Department of Student development * Division of Student and Alumni Services