News Digest
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PAGE 2__THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5,1996
Judge’s stay puts gay marriages on hold
Homosexual couples
may not be able to
many for at least a year
— if ever — in Hawaii.
HONOLULU (AP) — The judge
who declared Hawaii must allow gay
marriages put the ruling on hold
Wednesday while the state appeals.
Circuit Judge Kevin Chang agreed
with attorneys for the state that Hawaii
would have a dilemma if couples were
allowed to marry and Hawaii’s Su
preme Court then overturned his rul
ing.
The stay will remain in effect until
the high court rules, meaning gay
couples won’t be able to marry in Ha
waii for at least a year, if at all.
“If hundreds, or even thousands, of
gay marriages take place, the Supreme
Court probably won’t even hear the
appeal,” Deputy Attorney General
Rick Eichor said in arguing for the stay.
Eichor also argued that the three
gay couples who sued for the right to
marry would suffer no real harm if their
right to marry were delayed.
Dan Foley, a civil liberties attorney
who represented the couples, said he
found that argument incredulous. He
said his clients already had suffered
from delays in the case.
Foley said the state had demon
strated no irreparable harm in not
granting a stay.
Eichor said he will file an appeal
within 30 days.
That will send the case back to the
Supreme Court, which in 1993 ruled
that the state’s ban on same-sex mar
riage is unconstitutional unless the state
can show a compelling interest in con
tinuing it.
Eichor has argued that the state’s
marriage law is intended to promote
the best environment for the procre
ation and rearing of children. Eichor
said children fare best when raised by
their biological parents.
President Clinton signed a law in
September that says the federal gov
ernment will not recognize gay mar
riages and allows states to refuse to
U
If hundreds, or even thousands, of gay
marriages take place, the Supreme Court
probably won't even hear the appeal ”
Rick Eickhor
Deputy Attorney General
recognize such unions licensed in other
states.
But if the Hawaii ruling is upheld,
gay activists will try to build upon the
success and overturn the federal law,
said David Smith, spokesman for the
Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights
group based in Washington.
“A major bridge has been crossed,
but the battle will continue,” he said.
Protests persist against Serb leader
Demonstrations pose threat of political unrest for President Milosevic after he annulled Nov. 17 elections
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) —
.Protesters held their noses because the
“lies stink so much” as they passed
buildings housing state-run media loyal
to the Serbian president Wednesday in
the largest demonstration yet against
Slobodan Milosevic.
About 150,000 demonstrators
marched through the capital to protest
the annulment of Nov. 17 elections in
Belgrade and 14 of Serbia’s largest cit
ies that the opposition appeared to win.
So far mostly peaceful, two weeks
of protests have nonetheless turned into
a major political crisis in the country
and the biggest threat to Milosevic’s
eight years of rule in Serbia.
Earlier in the day, about 25,000 stu
dents carried banners of support
through downtown for an independent
radio station that was forced off the air
by authorities for its critical reporting.
A small group organized try an in
dependent trade union marched in the
morning with the students, symboli
cally banging empty plates and spoons.
One worker had a paper box on his
head with a slogan critical of the pre
Milosevic state media: “Switch off
Serbian TV and turn on your brains.”
In the afternoon rally, some protest
ers pinched their noses as they passed
buildings housing state-run TV and the
Politika daily, both loyal to Milosevic,
when opposition leader Vuk Draskovic
told them to do so “because their lies
stmk so much.”
“We are the future of Serbia and
Milosevic is the past,” another oppo
sition leader, Zoran Djindjic, told the
rally. “In another 10 to 20 days, we’ll
get rid of him forever.”
In the latest indication that even
some in the state are turning against
Milosevic, 90 judges demanded the re
examination of the annulment rulings.
“Our goal is to protect the honor
and dignity of the court,” said the
judges, in a letter published by the
weekly Telegraf.
Some of the judges signing the let
ter were from the court that annulled
the election results, indicating some
split in the judiciary. Several Supreme
Court members expressed criticism of
the annulments Tuesday.
The same local court that decided
on the annulments, however, Wednes
day rejected an appeal on the vote by
the opposition coalition Zajedno.
The students warned Milosevic ol
more unrest unless he rescinds the an
nulments. Others have called for his
resignation.
“The decision is up to you,” the stu
dents said in an open letter tc
Milosevic. “You have the power and
influence to lead our Serbia out of this
crisis with dignity.”
The students added: “The regime
you represent has crushed our votes
Do we have to fight for that right ir
the streets?”
Once the crowd reached the
Serbian presidency building, one of the
students placed the letter on its door
step, along with a round loaf of bread
a traditional sigh of goodwill.
“Come out, Martian!” the crowe
chanted, alluding to Milosevic’s isola
I-:
tion from the people.
There was no sign of Milosevic, the
Serbian leader accused of fomenting
the 3 '/2-year war in Bosnia that ended
last year.
Milosevic has generally ignored the
protests with the exception of arrest
ing some 30 people for destroying
property. But his aides and slate-run
media have sharply criticized his op
ponents.
Milosevic has so far refrained from
: calling on police and army units to
: crush the demonstrators, as he has done
in the past. But on Tuesday, he shut
, down three independent radio stations
— two in Belgrade and one to the
l southeast — in an attempt to squelch
- any reporting on the demonstrations.
' i
Man sentenced for killing gay admirer
Jonathan Schmitz said ‘sorry’ before receiving prison sentence
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A man
who killed a gay admirer who had re
vealed his crush and hugged him on
the “Jenny Jones Show” was sentenced
Wednesday to 25 to 50 years in prison.
Jonathan Schmitz, 26, faced a life
sentence for the murder of Scott
Amedure in a case that focused atten
tion on “ambush television” and the
tactics TV producers use to bring
guests onto daytime talk shows.
“I’d like to say the word sorry,”
Schmitz told Judge Francis X. O’Brien
before his sentence. “The word ‘sorry’
is a very powerful word. It has a lot of
meaning, and it is meant.”
The judge said he took Schmitz’
illnesses into account — his defense
lawyers said he bad been fighting al
coholism, depression and a thyroid
condition when the show’s producers
ambushed him and pushed him over the
edge.
However, “you still have to be ac
countable to society,” said O’Brien,
who added two more years on a weap
ons charge. With time served, Schmitz
will likely remain behind bars for at
least 20 years.
Assistant Prosecutor Roman
Kalytiak had asked for a life sentence,
and the victim’s family asked for the
maximum as well.
“His actions not only destroyed my
family, but his own family,” said
Amedure’s mother, Patricia Graves,
her voice wavering. “When I look at
the defendant, I see a monster.”
But Schmitz’ lawyer, James
Burdick said the sentence didn’t reflect
“at all on Jon’s mental illness.”
Schmitz’ family blamed the show
in pleading for leniency.
“The show’s gay secret admirer
threw my son into the pit of depression,”
his father, Allyn Schmitz, told the judge.
“My son was a good boy. We raised
Jonathan with honor and love.”
Witnesses testified Schmitz be
lieved he was going on the syndicated
show in March 1995 to meet a female
secret admirer, and was humiliated
before the audience when the admirer
turned out to be a man.
Amedure, 32, was shot three days
after he, Schmitz and a mutual friend
attended the show’s taping. The show
never aired, but was played in court
during the trial.
Jones, who eventually was forced
to take the stand herself, said she knew
little about how her show operates.
NASA mission sends
Pathfinder to Mars
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.
(AP) — NASA launched a space
craft to Mars early Wednesday car
rying the First interplanetary rover,
a six-wheeled cart that will roam the
frigid Martian surface in search of
rocks.
The Mars Pathfinder began its
310 million-mile journey atop an
unmanned rocket that lifted off at
1:58 ajn. It was the third try; launch
attempts earlier in the week were
stymied by bad weather and a com
puter failure.
An hour later, the last rocket
engine Fired and propelled Path
finder toward Mars at a speed of
more than 23,000 mph.
Pathfinder is the second probe j
to be sent to Mars by NASA in the ;
past month.
The Global Surveyor took off on \
Nov. 7, the first of 10 U.S. space- |
craft to be sent to the Red Planet
over the next decade in hopes of
determining whether life ever ex
isted there.
If all goes well, Pathfinder
should beat the slower Global Sur
veyor to Mars by two months, land
ing on July 4,1997.
It would be the first time in 21
years that a spacecraft has landed
on Mars.
The $196 million Pathfinder is
hailed by NASA as a new-wave
bargain spacecraft.
Editor: Doug Kouma Layout Editor: Nancy Zywiec
472-2588 Night News Editors: Bryce Glenn
Managing Editor: Doug Peters Jennifer Milke
Assoc. News Editors: Paula Lavigne ' Antone Oseka
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Opinion Editor: Anne Hjersman General Manager: Dan Shattil
AP Wire Editor: Kelly Johnson Advertising Manager: Amy Struthers
Copy Desk Chief: Julie Sobczyk AssL Advertising Manager: Tracy Welshans
Sports Ecltor: Mitch Sherman Classified Ad Manager: Tiffiny Clifton
A&E Editor: Joshua Giliin Publications Board
Night Editor: Beth Narans Chairman: Travis Brandt
Photo Director: Tanna Kinnaman Professional Adviser: Don Walton
WebEdttor: Michelle Collins- 473-7301
FAX NUMBER: 472-1761
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ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1996 DAILY NEBRASKAN
South Africa to adopt new constitution
\
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) —
A new constitution guaranteeing equal rights in
South Africa and outlawing capital punishment
finally won approval Wednesday from the Con
stitutional Court.
President Nelson Mandela is expected to sign
the 150-page constitution, one of the most lib
eral in the world, into law on Dec. 10 — Inter
national Human Rights Day.
The signing ceremony was scheduled for the
black township of Sharpeville, site of a 1960
police massacre of 69 blacks protesting apart
heid-era pass laws.
Mohamed Valli Moosa, Mandela’s provin
cial affairs minister, said Sharpeville, south of
Johannesburg, was chosen for the signing be
cause the 1960 massacre “marked a new era in
the struggle for liberation.”
Sharpeville is also part of the town of
Vereeniging, where a peace treaty ending the
Anglo-Boer war in 1902 set up the borders of
present-day South Africa.
i 1 /-v ^ • *1
Guatemalan cease-nre accord ends oo-year civil war
OSLO, Norway (AP)—Guatemalan rebels
and the government signed a permanent cease
fire Wednesday to end Latin America’s longest
civil war, a 36-year conflict that has killed
140,000 people.
The cease-fire is one of three accords to be
signed in Europe over the next six days, leading
to a final peace pact signing Dec. 29 in Guate
mala City.
“With this agreement we sign today, the
weapons will be silenced forever, rebel com
mander Rolando Moran said at Oslo city hall.
Also signing the accord was Gustavo Porras,
head of the Guatemalan presidential delegation
that has been trying to negotiate an end to the
war since meeting the rebels in the Norwegian
capital in 1990.
“We Guatemalans want to make sure all this
suffering was not in vain. We want to make sure
this will never happen again,” Porras said.
