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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 1996)
SiThe Keg & Free Pool 6 en to 10 am with drink purchase rl Karaoke every Wed. J J. n every night! Must be 21 yews or older. No Mnors "Friendfest Bar In Lincoln" 2Qth B O St American Heart Association Fighting Heart Disease and Stroke AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION MEMORIALS & TRIBUTES 1-800-AH A-USA1 This space provided as a public service. ©1994, American Heart Association • '■ ;■ ■ Accepting Our Bodies**Accepting Our Selves I Eating Disorders Education Group J Group discussions/presentations offered each week! Topics include nutrition, exercise, and the psychological and emo tional aspects of eating disorders. Open to students,family or friends! UHC Counseling & Psychological _ Services, 472-7450. Two Sessions Offered! Session 2: Feb. 27-Apr. 2 Tuesdays, 3:30-4:45 p.m. UHC 213, $25 for students $50 for others, Register at the UHC Business Office! vs. Oklahoma State SATURDAY, February 17 8:05 p.m. The first 500 full-time UNL Students through'the gate will receive a free Lincoln Sports & Rec t-shirt. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Nebraska vs. New Mexico & SUNDAY, February 18 7 p.m. ADMISSION: General Admission - $4.00 Students (7-18) - $2.00 UNL Students - FREE Children 6 and under - FREE Federal judge blocks Internet indecency law PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge Thursday banned the govern ment from enforcing a new law that punishes anyone who makes “inde cent” material available to minors over computer networks. But in a ruling that seemed to per plex lawyers for both the government and the coalition of civil rights groups that sued to block the law, the judge upheld a separate section of the statute aimed at “patently offensive” mate rial. U.S. District Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter said his temporary re straining order would remain in effect at least until lawyers present their ar guments before a panel including him self and two other judges. No date for that review was set. The request to block the law was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and 19 other groups on Feb. 8, immediately after President Clinton signed the Communications Decency Act into law as part of the wide-rang ing telecommunications reform bill. Buckwalter said the term “inde cent” was unconstitutionally vague as defined in the new law, but he left the government free to prosecute those who make available to minors any on line communication that “in context, “This is an enormously hopeful signal to our clients and hopefully a wake-up call to those in the federal government. ” STEFAN PRESSER ACLU legal director in Philadelphia depicts or describes in terms patently offensive as measured by contempo rary community standards, sexual or excretory activities or organs.” Stefan Presser, the ACLU’s legal director in Philadelphia, said that he believed the distinction between inde cent and patently offensive was so small as to be difficult for the govern ment to enforce. The judge’s decision can be ap pealed by either side immediately to the U.S. Supreme Court under provi sions provided by the act itself. The judge made no ruling on a segment of the Communications De cency Act which makes it illegal to use computer networks to provide in formation about how to obtain an abor tion. The Justice Department has said that it will not enforce that provision of the law. “This is an enormously hopeful signal to our clients and hopefully a wake-up call to those in the federal government,” Presser said. “The word indecent’ simply does not give the (computer user) enough information to avoid being sent to jail,” Presser said. The ACLU argued the law would violate privacy rights and strangle free speech by authorizing the government to prosecute people even for the pri vate messages they send about AIDS, abortion, politics and science — any subject involving sex. Supporters say the law, which car ries fines up to $250,000 and prison terms of up to five years, will protect children from pornography. They denied the ban would affect general information about abortion and AIDS. The judge also let stand a provision that allows the government to pros ecute those who transmit material that is considered obscene on the Internet —an aspect of the law the ACLU did not challenge. GOP candidates exchange fire in heated debate MANCHESTER, N.H. — Bob Dole and Pat Buchanan had several crackling exchanges over taxes and trade Thursday night as eight Republi can presidential hopefuls offered com peting conservative agendas in a de bate five days before New Hampshire’s pivotal primary. Looking to revive his troubled cam paign, multimillionaire publisher Steve Forbes said he had made a mistake airing negative ads. Yet in the next breath he labeled Dole a tax raiser and raised ethical questions about the fi nancial dealings of former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander. Firing back, Alexander demanded that Forbes release his tax returns. “That is a diversion,” Forbes said, refusing to comply. Campaign tactics also were a hot topic, beginning at the outset when Buchanan and Alexander lashed out at Dole for launching ads critical of their views. Later, when Forbes was lament ing his negative ad barrage, Dole joked that he knew the reason: “too much money.” While they sparred over the tone and tactics of the campaign, the candi dates were in broad agreement over why a Republican president would be better than a second Clinton term: the budget would be balanced, taxes cut and reformed, more power shifted to state and local governments. With New Hampshire’s primary looming Tuesday, Dole and Buchanan are in a tight race for first place, and some new polls suggest Alexander’s third-place showing in Iowa last week tias him inching up. Forbes has fallen in recent days from challenging for first to fighting for third, and hoped the debate would halt his slide. There was a spat over negative tac tics at the outset, and them a period of calm as the candidates said replacing President Clinton was critical to en acting a conservative GOP agenda. But when the subject turned to the economy and trade, Buchanan and Dole had several short but pointed exchanges. “Pat is off on this isolationist kick,” Dole said at one point. At another, he said, “Pat has gotten carried away to night” and turned to his rival and said, “Had a bad day?” Earlier Thursday, Buchanan ’ s cam paign chairman took a leave of ab sence because of a report linking him to white supremist and militia groups. Returning fire, Buchanan said Dole had supported tax increases, a point raised later by Forbes, too. In the trade fight, Dole got plenty of help. Alexander, Forbes, and Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar warned Buchanan’s protectionist views would kill many more jobs than they saved. The last time such views were popular, “We got a Great Depression.” When the candidates were asked to defend their advertising, Dole said he was under a negative assault from Forbes more than three months before responding. “We’ve got a right to defend our selves,” he said. —-I Cop killers Continued from Page 1 said looking intently at each commit tee member. “Are you out at three o’clock in the morning when a woman screams for help and a officer pulls up and somebody steps out and blows him away? “Does a doctor respond to that? Does a garbage man?” he asked. Omaha Police Chief James Skinner informed the committee that since the agency he now commands began 109 years ago, 22 officers had been killed in the line of duty — three during his tenure. Skinner said the common theme he hoped the committee considered re garding the bill was that the officers were acting as representatives of the state government. “They are enforcing state laws, he said. “The laws that all of you deter mine are appropriate for us to live under in this society. “And when someone assaults or murders a police officer, it is an assault on our very form of government.” A similar bill, LB963, was intro duced by Sen. Curt Bromm of Wahoo, and Bromm sdid he would support LB990. Scott Wesely of Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty was the only person to testify against the bill. “LB990 and 963 do nothing to stop cop killers,” a written statement said, “and nothing to punish them that life without parole can’t do more consis tently, and with fewer negative conse quences.” The committee did not conduct an executive session and took no action on the bill. Board halts live racing at Aksarben OMAHA, Neb.—The Dou glas Racing Corp. voted Thurs day to suspend live horse racing for the 1996 season at the Aksarben race track. It would be the first time in 65 years horses have not raced at the track. The board voted to suspend racing after it failed to reach an agreement with a pair of Omaha businessmen, who had offered to borrow the county $1 million to fund the races. Board members said they will consider their options and look for other ways to restart the track in the future. Horse racing at the financially troubled track was expected to begin May 3. However, the board did agree it would continue to provide si mulcast races at the track. The Horsemen Benevolent Association has offered $600,000 to fund simulcast rac ing. If racing at the Omaha track had continued this year, offi cials had estimated the shortfall would have been as high as $ 1.6 million — including operating losses and payments on the bonds that financed the county’s 1992 purchase of Aksarben. Nefciraskan Editor J. Christopher Haln 472-1766 Managing Editor Doug Kouma Assoc. News Editors Matt Waite Sarah Sea let Opinion Page Editor Doug Peters Wire Editor Michelle Gamer Copy Desk Editor Tim Pearson Sports Editor Mitch Sherman Arts & Entertainment Editor Jeff Randall Photo Director Staci McKee http://www.unl.edu/DailyNeb/ FAX NUMBER 472-1761 The Daily Nebraskan(USPS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board. Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St., Lincoln, NE 68588-0448, Monday through Friday during the academic year; weekly during summer sessions. Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by phoning 472-1763 between 9 a.m. and 5 Km. Monday through Friday. The public also rs access to the Publications Board. For information, contact Tim Hedegaard, 436 9253, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Subscription price is $50 for one year. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St.,Lincoln. NE 68588-0448. Second-class postage paid at Lincoln, NE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1996 DAILY NEBRASKAN