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Phone records in court show people in election phone jamming called White House Larry (Dargasah THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Key figures in a phone jamming scheme designed to keep New Hampshire Democrats from voting in 2002 had regular contact with the White House and Republican Party as the plan was unfolding, phone records introduced in criminal court show. The records show that Bush campaign operative James Tobin, who recently was convicted in the case, made two dozen calls to the White House within a three-day period around Election Day 2002 — as the phone jamming operation was finalized, carried out and then abruptly shut down. The national Republican Party, which paid millions in legal bills to defend Tobin, says the contacts involved routine election business and that it was “preposterous” to suggest the calls involved phone jamming. The Justice Department has secured three convictions in the case but hasn’t accused any White House or national Republican officials of wrongdoing, nor made any allegations suggesting party officials outside of New Hampshire were involved. The phone records of calls to the White House were exhibits in Tobin’s trial but prdsecutors did not make them part of their case. Democrats plan to ask a federal judge Tuesday to order GOP and White House officials to answer questions about the phone jamming in a civil lawsuit alleging voter fraud. Repeated hang-up calls that jammed telephone lines at a Democratic get-out the-vote center occurred in a Senate race in which Republican John Sununu defeated Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, 51 percent to 46 percent, on Nov. 5, 2002. Besides the conviction of Tobin, the Republicans’ New England regional director, prosecutors negotiated two plea bargains: one with a New Hampshire Republican Party official and another with the owner of a telemarketing firm involved in the scheme. The owner of the subcontractor firm whose employees made the hang-up calls is under indictment. The phone records show that most calls to the White House were from Tobin, who became President Bush’s presidential campaign chairman for the New England region in 2004. Other calls from New Hampshire senatorial campaign offices to the White House could have been made by a number of people. A GOP campaign consultant in 2002, Jayne Millerick, made a 17 minute call to the White House on Election Day, but said in an interview she did not recall the subject. Millerick, who later became the New Hampshire GOP chairwoman, said in an interview she did not learn of the jamming until after the election. A Democratic analysis of phone records introduced at Tobin’s criminal trial show he made 115 outgoing calls — mostly to the same number in the White House political affairs office — between Sept. 17 and Nov. 22, 2002. Two dozen of the calls were made from 9:28 a.m. the day before the election through 2:17 a.m. the night after the voting. author • conTinueuFRomi None of the six volunteers had a perfect GPA at the end of the test, so Windmeyer offered a bonus point. “You can earn a bonus point by doing a Z-snap, but it will be based on how loud the audience gets,” Windmeyer said. Windmeyer is the founder of the Lambda 10 project and said the number' represents an estimate of the proportion of the population that is gay. “Some people say it’s more than 10 percent, some say it’s less. I don’t really care,” Windmeyer said. “Another number that’s more important is the number of straight allies there are that have gay loved ones.” Windmeyer said gays are often discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. “We don’t live in a world of ‘Will and Grace,’” Windmeyer said. “Remember when Ellen came out? Her show got canceled because it was no longer funny.” He said homophobia is an issue hi the Southeast and that abuse was an issue at the university. “I find that a lot in the Southeast homophobia is very much alive, but it only creeps up in jokes or language,” Windmeyer said. “People say things like ‘that’s so gay’ without even stopping to think if there is someone gay around them, or someone who has gay loved ones. Hate happens on this campus just as much as any other campus. It may go unnoticed, unspoken, or unreported, but it does happen.” Windmeyer cited his own marriage as testimony to the discrimination against gays. “Gay people aren’t extended the same rights; they are second-class citizens in many states,” Windmeyer said. “In North Carolina gay marriage is not recognized, but we decided to get married anyway, even though we didn’t get the 1,100-plus rights given to married straight people.” Windmeyer said a 1995 study showed gay men and women join Greek organizations for the same reasons straight men and women do. Eighty percent of the gay men and women polled were the president, vice president, social chair, or rush chair of their organization. Windmeyer said he had a positive experience coming out to his fraternity brothers. “I came out at a meeting, and I told them I heard a rumor going around that I was gay,” Windmeyer said. “I said it was true and then continued with my vice president notes. Then a 275-pound guy got up and came straight at me, put his arm around me and said, ‘If anyone has a problem with Shane they can take it up with me.’” Windmeyer said although his experience was positive, it is important for fraternities not to turn their heads and believe there are no gay members of their chapter. “You can look back at the history of fraternities and find gay men who were deeply closeted,” Windmeyer said. “To create acceptance among the Greek community, the first step is to educate them on brotherhood.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu ^B ORGfln • CORTIRUEDFROfRI organ donation.” People can help by considering becoming an organ and tissue donor. Secondly, they can donate blood, blood products, bone marrow, a kidney, or part of a liver or lung. At the time of death, people can donate bone, skin, heart valves, corneas and other tissues. To prolong the lives of many, they can donate their heart, pancreas and other vital organs. Heather Mathis, a third year biology student and member of Students for Organ Donations, said many people don’t realize the length of the organ waiting list. “Every 12 minutes another name is added to the national transplant waiting list and we still need student’s help,” she said. For more information, call The Gift of Life Trust Fund at 1-877-277-4866 or visiting www.giftoflife sc.org. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu - —■ l'*a*SSEEZE3V EZHlBaZEZanaEi I 777-7716 MCAT LSAT GMAT GRE DAT ' Beat the ' Price Increase The prices of our Classroom and Premium Online Courses are going up. Enroll by May Is* to lock in the current price! Lwt two L3AT CImm* for Junt 12tti Ejum 4/25 - 6/8 Tuesdays and Thursdays 6pm 5/1 • 6/7 Mon/Wed at 6pm, Sat at 10am Call 1-800-KAP-TEST or visit kaptest.com. Higher test scores guaranteed or your money back. TEST PREP AND ADMISSIONS _ I Mr. & Miss USC I* 27th annual USC Bodybuilding and Fipure Championships Before a large crowd with record number of entries and finalists, Jill Hunter and David Colwell received the overall titles. The eight women finalists showed their poise, figure and symmetry in both dresses and two piece swim suits. Fourteen men, in three different weight classes were judged on muscularity, muscle definition, symmetry and presentation. The Mr. & Miss