The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 13, 2000, Page 5, Image 5
Bush’s role in executions still issue
by Kelley Shannon
Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas— Gov. George W. Bush
gets criticized for his hands-off approach to state
executions, but state law leaves little room for
governors to act in these life-and-death decisions.
Supporters say Bush, the Republican presi
dential nominee, allows the 18-member Texas
Board of Pardons and Paroles to do its job freely
by maintaining an arm’s-length relationship.
“The governor leaves it up to each parole
board member to make their own decisions af
ter they review the case. They’re an independent
body,” said Bush spokesman Mike Jones.
Others contend that Bush does direct the
board — through his public statements on exe
cutions and his power to appoint members to
their six-year, $80,000-per-year jobs.
All current board members are Bush ap
pointees.
“It does seem that they would want to be in
line with his way of thinking about it,” said Richard
C. Dieter, executive director of the Death Penal
ty Information Center.
Bush has said he supports the death penalty
and doesn’t believe an inno
cent person has been exe
cuted in Texas during his ad
ministration.
David Dow, a University
of Houston law professor who
represents condemned in
mates, suggests both Bush and
his Democratic predecessor,
Ann Richards, have used the parole board as an
excuse to avoid having to make a tough, moral
decision.”
In Texas, the governor can only issue a one
time, 30-day reprieve or act on a recommenda
tion of the parole board to grant a stay, commute
a sentence or issue a pardon. Those limits evolved
front a pardons scandal in the 1920s and are aimed
at preventing a governor from granting continu
ous reprieves.
Since Bush became governor in 1995, the
state has executed 143 people, including 32
this year. Texas has executed 231 people in the
past two decades, the most in the nation.
Three more executions are scheduled before
the Nov. 7 presidential election, including that
of high-profile inmate Ricky Nolen McGinn on
Sept. 27.
Bush granted a 30
day reprieve for McGinn in
June — the only reprieve he
, has granted as governor—so
(that further DNA testing
could be done. But the tests
failed to clear McGinn in the
rape and murder of his 12
year-old stepdaughter.
Bush never has witnessed an execution, ror
the most part, he limits his role to privately
quizzing his attorneys about cases, aides say.
Unlike Richards, who met with her general
counsel about executions, Bush has met with the
staff lawyers who studied condemned inmates’
cases, said Jim Sallans, a former staff attorney
who reviewed death row cases for both gover
nors. Sallans left after Bush’s first term.
Bush would read the lawyer’s memo—about
three to four pages—and talk with the attorney,
usually from 15 minutes to 45 minutes but per
haps up to two hours, Sallans said.
Ultimately, Sallans said, Bush would ask:
“OK, Did he do it? Did he get a fair trial?”
Bush did not try to instruct the board how to
vote, he said.
“That’s political suicide,” Sallans said.
Gerald Garrett, the board chairman, said Bush
takes a hands-off approach with members, telling *
them, “in essence, make the right decision and
if there is political fallout, so be it.”
The Texas governor does not have the pow
er to declare a moratorium on executions, as Illi
nois Gov. Geoige Ryan, a Republican, has done.
Some suggest Bush, if concerned about the
fairness of Texas’ death penalty, could use his
power of persuasion to generate public support
for a moratorium.
“He could have a much higher profile in the
Texas death penalty debate, if he wanted to,” said
Dow, the professor who has represented inmates.
Dow also contends that governors can
communicate with the parole board as much as
they wish, through direct dialogue or public state
ments.
Case in point: Henry Lee Lucas.
Bush asked the parole board to investigate
the conviction of Lucas, a drifter sentenced to
death for the murder of an unidentified woman
known as “Orange Socks.”
The parole board recommended commuting
Lucas’ sentence to life in prison, and Bush ap
proved it in June 1998.
Libya celebrates
hostages’ return
from Phillipines
by Sarah El Deeb
Associated Press
TRIPOLI, Libya — Four former hostages cel
ebrated freedom Tuesday by the sea in Libya while
officials in the Philippines promised to crack down
on rebels still holding 19 captives.
“We are now facing the sunrise after a long
time of darkness,” said Risto Vahanen, one of the
four hostages brought to Libya to thank the gov
ernment that engineered their release from Abu
Sayyaf rebels, reportedly by paying $1 million in
ransom for each.
Vahanen, as well as Finnish, French and
German foreign ministry officials, spoke at an
hourlong ceremony arranged by Libya in a court
yard of the Red Palace, a historic fortress on the
Mediterranean bordering Tripoli’s ancient walled
Quarter.
The ceremony comes three days after Libya
bought the four captives’ freedom—and one day
after Vahanen said the Abu Sayyaf rebels, who
liave been holding hostages in the southern Philip
pines for months now, raped some of their female
captives.
Speaking to reporters in Tripoli Tuesday, he
denied he had spoken of rape and said their mis
treatment included inappropriate touching of the
women.
Libyan officials have played a prominent role
in negotiations with the rebels. Libya paid $10
million to win the freedom of 10 hostages, in
cluding the four released Saturday, according to
negotiators in the Philippines.
The six others, released late last month, were
brought to Tripoli soon afterward for a welcom
ing ceremony that Libyan officials turned into an
anti-American affair. It was held at the ruins of
the house where Gadhafi’s adopted daughter was
killed in a 1986 U.S. bombing. There was little
hint of anti-U.S. sentiment Tuesday.
“Now that the sun has risen again, we are fac- •
ing a new life that we think will be very reward
ing. And in our new life, we have got a lot of new
friends and new parents. We have adopted (Libyan
negotiator) Dr. Rajab Azzarouq as our new fa
ther,” Vahanen said.
German Marc Wallert, Frenchman Stephane
Loisy and Finn Seppo Franti joined Finnish, Ger
man and French dignitaries listening to speeches
TnpcHav hv a renrpcenlalivp nf the Gadhafl III
temational Association for Charitable Organiza
tions, a nominally private group headed by Gad
hafi’s son that led efforts to win the their freedom.
Almost immediately afterward, all four for
mer hostages flew out of Libya, headed home at
last.
Asked after the ceremony whether Libya’s
prestige had been boosted, Seif el-Islam Gadhafi
said, “of course.”
The elder Gadhafi, who did not attend Tues
day’s ceremony, said last week he hopes for im
proved relations with the United States. His in
tervention on behalf of the hostages has been seen
as an attempt to repair relations with the world
after years of being branded a sponsor of terror
ism and destabilization.
U.N. sanctions against Libya were suspended
last year when it handed over for trial in the West
two of its government officials accused in the 1988
/ ■. * Libya seepages
r
Europeans protest gas prices
by Bryan Brumley
Associated Press
LONDON— Protesters and union leaders
called for European governments to slash fu
el taxes, vowing Tuesday to widen demon
strations that have snarled traffic, blockaded
refineries, led hospitals to cut back on am
bulance services and prompted motorists to
stock up on gasoline.
Truckers, taxi drivers, farmers, tour op
erators and others who claim that high oil
prices are hurting their businesses protested
in Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands,
France and Germany.
“These guys are doing it to save their
livelihoods,” said Mike Salmon, of the British
Road Haulage Association, representing protest
ing truck drivers.
Across Britain, thousands of gas stations
were closed .and tanker fleets were at a stand
still. Some hospital patients faced delayed
suigeries as ambulances were put on an emer
gency-only schedule.
Prime Minister Tony Blair canceled a
planned trip to the north to hold emeigency
meetings with key ministers. Queen Eliza
beth and her senior advisers gave the gov
ernment the go-ahead to employ emer
gency measures, but officials had not specified
wliat those might be.
In Belgium, truckers intensified their
protests by blockading gasoline depots, dis
rupting freeway traffic and maintaining a stran
glehold on main thoroughfares in the capital.
Brussels.
Truckers also slowed traffic on a freeway
linking Brussels with the northern port of
Antwerp. The main freeway to Luxembouig
was jammed and the highway from Brussels
to the French city of Lille was blocked at the
border.
Negotiations between road liaulage unions
and the Belgian government were to re
sume after breaking up Monday evening.
Truckers in the Netherlands set up road
blocks on five major freeways on the second
day of unorganized protests.
In the western German city of Saar
brucken, more than 200 trucks, buses and
taxis drove honking their homs through the
center of town, near the French border. Ral
lying in front of the state parliament build
ing, the protesters demanded that an energy
tax imposed by the Social Democratic-led
government be repealed.
The protesters want their governments
to follow the French lead in granting con
cessions.
Both the British and German governments
said they would not do so. The handful of
French protests Tuesday were held by shop
keepers and professionals who claimed to have
been cut out of the deal.
“We cannot and we will not alter gov
ernment policy on petrol tlirough blockades
and pickets,” Blair said Monday, drawing ah
angry reaction Tuesday from the protesters.
“Tony Blair has made a gross mistake and
has grossly underestimated the will of the
country.” said Brynle Williams, a spokesman
for protesting famiers and truckers.
Police cleared the route to one oil ter
minal in Norfolk early Tuesday, but had not
moved against protesters elsewhere.
A high proportion of British gasoline sta
tions had no fuel whatsoever, up to 90 per
cent in Wales, and many of those that were
open had only diesel, according to automo
bile clubs and oil companies.
Texaco spokesmen said 350 of the com
pany’s stations, mostly in Wales and south
west England, were out or nearly out of fu
el. A spokesman for Shell said 520 of its filling
stations were in similar straits.
In Wales, police said one motorist, An
thony Probert, 62, died after waiting more
than an hour for gas.
“It is difficult to say what caused the man’s
death at this point. But it must liave been very
stressful situation waiting in a car on a hot day
worrying that you may not be able to get fu
el,” said Sgt. Andrew Lloyd of Abergavenny
police.
A decision by the Organization of Pe
troleum Exporting Countries to raise its pro
duction quota by 800,000 barrels a day had
no immediate impact on the protests, although
it did send October contracts of North Sea
Brent crude down 45 cents to $32.33 a bar
rel on the International Petroleum Exchange
in London!
For European motorists, unleaded gaso
line can cost more than $4 per gallon, a far
higher price than in the United States.
Campaign 2000
\ ' , »
Gore promotes plan for education
by Mike Glover
Associated Press
MIAMISBURG, Ohio— Seeking to reclaim
a traditional Democratic issue, A1 Gore and
running mate Joe Lieberman conceded there
are “some similarities” between their edu
cation proposals and rival Geoige W. Bush’s
plan, but promoted their ideas as far more
sweeping.
“What we’re proposing is a comprehen
sive approach that focuses on the classroom,”
Gore told middle school students in Miamis
buig Tuesday. “The difference is we start with
accountability, we don’t end with account
ability”
Gore and Lieberman rumbled across south
ern Ohio in separate yellow school buses,
touting the $170 billion they would pour in
to education. Gore strategists were worried
that Republican presidential nominee Bush,
who also talks often about schools, has
made inroads on the issue that have shown up
in their internal polling.
“The amount we would invest in schools
is far, far greater than that from the other
side,” Gore said. “Those are the basic differ
ences.”
. Gore and Lieberman then headed to a
Middletown high school where they lunched
with students and visited classes to give se
niors a pep talk.
“We want America’s schools to be the
W
best in the world,” said Licberman. “That’s
not only critical for the children, it’s critical
for the country.”
Gore picked a cheeseburger and pasta for
lunch, sitting in a jammed cafeteria with
students and teachers.
Bush spokesman Dan Bartlett ridiculed
the bus caravan and the proposals as nothing
new.
“If A1 Gore’s school bus is anything like
his education proposal it will have four flat
tires,” Bartlett said. “A1 Gores’ education
plan is more of the status quo.”
Gore and Lieberman promoted their plan
to give a bonus to teachers who agree to work
in high-need areas but also returned to their
theme that classroom discipline needs to be
improved. One student told Gore that young
sters need to be protected from violent movies
and video games, and Gore dismissed critics
who worry that cracking down on entertain
ment violence raises free speech issues.
“They just don’t understand the truth of
it. That’s a big problem,” Gore said.
While promoting new programs to help
students from preschoool to college, Gore
and Licberman also focused on requiring teach
ers to be accountable and meet tough new
standards.
“It's more than just putting money in, you
have to have results,” Gore told students, par
ents and teachers on a bus rolling toward Mid
dletown. “If you want to get more out of the
schools, you have to measure the perfor
mance.”
It was a balancing act for the Democrat
ic ticket.
The vice president and Lieberman are
backed by the politically potent teacher unions,
based largely on their call for liiring new teach
ers and boosting their pay.
Campaign aides took care to underscore
other proposals, including teacher testing and
“a qualified teacher in every classroom.”
Teachers’ unions traditionally have opposed
proposals for testing.
Their package also calls for testing of stu
dents in the fourth, eighth and 12th grades,
and would begin grading schools under a pro
gram offering benefits to those that “close
the achievement gap.”
The package also begins to build a line of
defense for the Democrats’ opposition to
school vouchers, which Bush supports. Back
ers of vouchers aigue those who would gain
the most are inner-city youngsters in failing
schools who would get a better education if
given the chance to attend private school.
Gore argues that public schools would suf
fer if government funds are diverted and spent
on private education. Lieberman has supported
vouchers, but now defers to Gore's posi
tion.
Gore and Lieberman also would identify
failing schools and make sure “children are
receiving the help they need.”
News Briefs
■ FDA says chick
en pox vaccine so
far is safe
CHICAGO— Three years of data oh
the chicken pox vaccine since it first be
came available show it is generally a safe
_ and effective way to prevent a mostly '
annoying but potentially serious child
hood disease, the government says.
Of the 6,574 problems linked to the
vaccine that were reported to the gov
ernment between its approval in
March 1995 and July 25, 1998, most
were minor complications, such as rash
es or pain at the injection site, the Food
and Drug Administration said.
■ Daily News
gives commuters
afternoon edition
NEW YORK — The Daily News Ex-'
press, a free newspaper for afternoon
commuters, made its way to readers for
the first time Tuesday, with a banner
headline “RATS!” and a hope for suc
cess.
The headline led to a bylined story
about Democrats questioning whether
a new Republican campaign ad-contained
a subliminal message, the word “rats”
set off within the word “bureaucrats.”
Also on Page One: a report on suspended
Yankee slugger Darryl Strawberry’s
Florida court appearance in which he
admitted to driving under the influence
of medication and leaving the scene of
an accident.
“We made it by 10 minutes,” an ex
ultant Editor Brian Moss said as the 11:30
a.m. deadline arrived.
■ Ford recalls
Escapes for wheel
problems
DETROIT—Troubles with new
models has forced Ford Motor Co. to re
call about 23,500 vehicles — including
the third production problem with the
Ford Escape sport utility vehicle.
Ford said Tuesday it was recalling
1,582 Escapes built without four-wheel
drive or antilock brakes. An inspection
of some vehicles before they were sold
found that two had been built with wheel
hubs used on the four-wheel-drive ver
sion. That mistake could cause the wheel
to come loose.
Ford spokesman Mike Vaughn said
only a handful of Escapes with the prob
lem were sold to customers. Ford noti
fied customers with the vehicles last
month.
■ Remains found
of girl missing
DALTON, Ark. — Bones found by a
hunter have been identified as those of
an 8-year-old girl who vanished more
than two years ago when her family was
murdered.
The bones, discovered Friday in a re
mote area a few miles south of the Mis
souri state line, were confirmed to be the
remains of Felicia Elliott on Monday,
state police said. The murders remain un
solved.
Felicia’s whereabouts had been a
mystery since July 30, 1998, when po
lice discovered the bodies of Lisa Elliott,
27, and her 7-year-old son Gregory at
the family’s home in Dalton. Both had
been bludgeoned to death.
■ Federal court
won’t stop
execution
RICHMOND, Va. —A federal judge
refused Tuesday to stop the execution of
Derek. R. Bamabei, dismissing defense
arguments of “deliberate and malicious
tampering” with the evidence by the
state.
“Bamabei is... guilty of the rape and
capital murder,” Spencer said.
Bamabei, 33, is scheduled to be ex
ecuted Thursday night for the 1993 rape
and murder of Sarah Wisnosky, a 17-year
old college freshman he had been dating.
The victim was strangled and struck re
peatedly with a blunt instrument.