Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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monKS • conTinucDFRomi their monastery. ^ According to Carolina P Productions, the mandala has “outer, inner, and secret meanings.” According to a news release, “on the outer level they represent the world in its divine form. On the inner level they represent a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into an enlightened mind. And on the secret level they depict the primordially perfect balance of the subtle energies of the body and the clear light dimension of the • i n The creation of the mandala is said to purify and heal on those three levels. The opening ceremony, which according to the monks’ Web site consists of about 30 minutes of prayer and chanting to consecrate the area that the mandala will be constructed in, was at noon Monday. The monks are constructing the mandala using thousands of grains. Each monk has a metal funnel called a chak-pur. They run a metal rod on its * grated surface, which causes the sand to pour out of the funnel. They will continue construction until Thursday at 2 p.m., when they will hold the closing ceremony. Mandalas are usually destroyed shortly after completion, representing the impermanence of life — a founding principle of Buddhism. During the closing ceremony the sand from the mandala is swept up and placed in an urn. Half of the sand is distributed to the audience, and the rest is put into a nearby flowing body of water. The idea is that the water carries the blessing to the ocean, and from there it spreads throughout the _1 J W U1 1U. After Thursday’s closing ceremony, the monks will head to the College of Dupage in Illinois, the next stop on their tour. Hillary Gillis, a first-year anthropology student, was happy about the mandala being built. “I think this is so awesome. It’s a visual representation of a prayer encouraging all the followers to keep on their path to enlightenment,” Gillis said. “I can’t even describe it.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gtum.sc.edu Need Help? V U.S. Supreme Court hints at concern in presidential wartime powers case Gina Holland THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Supreme Court justices appeared troubled Tuesday by President Bush’s plans to hold war-crimes trials for foreigners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And several seemed outraged by the government’s claim that a new law had stripped the high court of authority to hear a case brought by Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemeni who once worked as a driver for Osama bin Laden. Hamdan has spent nearly four years in the U.S. prison at Guantanamo, and the supreme Court has been asked to decide if he can be put on trial with fewer legal protections before a type of military tribunal last used in the World War II-era. The appeal could set the stage for a landmark ruling, and the courtroom atmosphere was tense. “The use of military commissions to try enemy combatants has been part and parcel of the war power for 200 years,” Solicitor General Paul Clement told justices. Two years ago the Supreme Court ruled that “a state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation’s citizens.” Hamdan’s lawyer, Neal Katyal, told justices that the Bush administration is seeking a “blank check” to do what it wants with foreigners held at Guantanamo Bay. The U.S. prison has been a flash point for international criticism because hundreds of people suspected of ties to al Qaida and the Taliban — including some teenagers — have been swept up by the U.S. military and secretly shipped there since 2002. At first, the Bush administration would not let the detainees see lawyers or notify family where they were, and interrogators used aggressive strategies to extract information. Only a few weeks ago, in response to a victory in a lawsuit by The Associated Press, did the administration release names or detainees. Justice Stephen Breyer said that lawyers for Hamdan, who faces a single conspiracy count, argue there is no emergency to justify the special trial. “If the president can do this, well then he can set up commissions to go to Toledo, and in Toledo pick up an alien and not have any trial at all except before that special commission,” Breyer said. Without Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative Bush nominated last year, the argument seemed lopsided against the government. Roberts supported the Bush administration as a lower court judge and had to withdraw from participating. Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito gave hints that they support the administration, both suggesting that the high court should delay a decision until after the trial is over — much like courts do with regular criminal defendants. Roberts was on a three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that signed off on the military trial for Hamdan. Scalia Jiad been asked by five retired generals to " withdraw from participating in the case because of remarks he made in a recent speech in Switzerland about “enemy combatants.” Scalia said foreigners waging war against -tne unitea states have no rights under the Constitution. The outcome of the case will likely turn on moderate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who questioned Clement several times * about the legal safeguards for the trials. Kennedy said that historically, prisoners have been able to challenge their detentions in court. It was unclear whether Clement resolved Kennedy’s concerns. Clement brought up the 2001 terrorist attacks and said that presidents going back to George Washington used military trials. The Bush administration has tried to scuttle the case on grounds that the new law stripped the justices’ authority to consider it. The law passed late last year • bars Guantanamo prisoners from filing petitions to fight their detentions, and the administration claims this law retroactively voided hundreds of lawsuits. Justice David H. Souter said it would be “stupendously significant” for Congress to retroactively close courts to constitutional challenges. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said “it’s an extraordinary act, I think, to withdraw jurisdiction from this court in a pending case.” Hamdan claims the military commissions established by the Pentagon on Bush’s orders are flawed because they violate basic military justice protections. i ms is a military commission that is literally unbounded by the laws, Constitution and treaties of the United States,” Katyal told justices. Hamdan, who was captured in Afghanistan in November 2001, is charged with conspiracy to commit war crimes, murder and terrorism. He claims he is an innocent father of two young daughters and worked as a driver for bin Laden in Afghanistan only to eke out a living for his family. Hamdan is among about 490 foreigners currently being held as “enemy combatants” at Guantanamo Bay. Ten of the men, including Hamdan, have been charged with crimes, but justices were told that as many as 75 will be tried. USC’s Totally NEW Off-Campus Housing Site 0 Searchable Off-Campus Housing Listings 0 Pictures & Maps * 0 Email/Web Site Links 0 Roommate Listings 0 Furniture to buy/sell 0 Summer Sublets to list for rent www.sa.sc.edu/offcampus i i k 4 $