From: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com (roc-digest) To: roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: roc-digest V2 #79 Reply-To: roc-digest Sender: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk roc-digest Wednesday, February 25 1998 Volume 02 : Number 079 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 08:38:49 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: CAS: (OT) False Alarm-Anthrax 'Alert' (fwd) This message is in MIME format. The first part should be readable text, while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware tools. Send mail to mime@docserver.cac.washington.edu for more info. - --1915762710-1542453501-888244729=:8147 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii Content-ID: - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 22 Feb 1998 09:48:38 -0600 From: Brenda Jinkins To: CAS Subject: CAS: (OT) False Alarm-Anthrax 'Alert' - --1915762710-1542453501-888244729=:8147 Content-Type: MESSAGE/RFC822 Content-ID: Content-Description: Received: from oak.oakland.edu (oak.oakland.edu [198.111.3.158]) by wsp1.wspice.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id IAA12941 for ; Sun, 22 Feb 1998 08:23:41 -0600 Received: (from listserv@localhost) by oak.oakland.edu (8.8.5/8.7.4-jdm) id JAA00972 for okcty-outgoing; Sun, 22 Feb 1998 09:22:36 -0500 (EST) Received: from telepath.com (root@zoom1.telepath.com [205.228.200.20]) by oak.oakland.edu (8.8.5/8.7.4-jdm) with ESMTP id JAA06638 for ; Sun, 22 Feb 1998 09:22:27 -0500 (EST) From: believer@telepath.com Received: from default (zoom195-051.telepath.com [205.228.195.51]) by telepath.com (8.8.5/8.7.3) with SMTP id IAA11403; Sun, 22 Feb 1998 08:24:16 -0600 (CST) Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19980222081940.0080dda0@telepath.com> X-Sender: believer@telepath.com X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.5 (32) X-Priority: 1 (Highest) Date: Sun, 22 Feb 1998 08:19:40 -0600 To: believer@telepath.com Subject: False Alarm-Anthrax 'Alert' Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Sender: owner-okcty@oak.oakland.edu Precedence: bulk X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by wsp1.wspice.com id IAA12941 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit - ---------------------------- NOTE: "The FBI confirmed Saturday that the confiscated version is a non-lethal type that veterinarians use." - ---------------------------- Source: www.cnn.com One suspect in anthrax case released from custody February 21, 1998 Web posted at: 10:08 p.m. EST (0308 GMT) LAS VEGAS, Nev. (CNN) - -- One of the two men arrested for posession of what turned out to be non-lethal anthrax was released from custody Saturday evening. William Leavitt Jr., 47, thanked God, his family, law enforcement officials, a federal magistrate judge and his lawyers for getting him out of prison on his own recognizance, saying the past three days have been the "most difficult days of my life." Leavitt and Larry Wayne Harris, 46, were arrested Wednesday night and charged with conspiracy to possess and possession of a biological agent. Leavitt's release came just hours after FBI agents raided the microbiologist's home north of Las Vegas in search of more evidence. Pale and appearing on the verge of tears, Leavitt, a self-described medical researcher, said he has no hard feelings toward FBI investigators. "I understand what happened, and I understand the position the FBI took based upon the information they received," Leavitt told the media just after his release from the Clark County Detention Center. "I spent many, many hours in fasting and in prayer, and wanted the truth (to) be known." One stipulation for Leavitt's release is that he "will not conduct or participate in any biological or biochemical treatment," according to court documents. The FBI acknowledged earlier Saturday that test results so far show the confiscated anthrax is not the deadly military-grade version. "We truly felt, and we feel now, that we had enough probable cause to believe there was a danger to the community," FBI agent Bobby Siller told reporters. "We had to act the way we did." Siller, special agent in charge of the FBI's Las Vegas office, said the arrests of Leavitt and Harris were made on the basis of information from witnesses, as well as surveillance and background checks. Residents assured they are not in danger Before their arrests, Harris and Leavitt had told more than one person that they had military-grade anthrax and planned to test it at a nearby medical center, Siller said. Siller also reassured Las Vegas residents they are not in danger. "There is no reason for anybody to be concerned about any contaminants in this area," Siller said. U.S. Army experts at Fort Detrick, Maryland, concluded the substance was not a biological weapon after completing a series of tests that began Friday morning, sources told CNN. The FBI confirmed Saturday that the confiscated version is a non-lethal type that veterinarians use. The FBI apparently also seized other material in Ohio from houses owned by Harris. That material is still being tested at Fort Detrick, and those tests will not be completed before Monday. Police suspect Harris gave 'inoculations' Saturday, a Columbus, Ohio, police investigator said he believes Harris regularly gave some people injections that Harris claimed would protect them against biological agents. "It's something we've suspected and can't divulge our sources, but we think he was giving inoculations," Det. Rick Adrian said. It was unclear how long Harris offered the injections, what the shots contained or whether anyone became sick because of them. The FBI affidavit detailing the case against Harris says he claims to be an officer in the Idaho-based white separatist group Aryan Nations. Mark Potok, a spokesman for the Southern Poverty Law Center, a national watchdog group that monitors extremist groups, told The New York Times that Harris traveled around the country, "meeting with extremist anti-government groups and inoculating them against anthrax." Harris was previously given probation after pleading guilty to illegally obtaining bubonic plague bacteria through the mail in 1995. - ----------------------------- Army lab finds Las Vegas anthrax not dangerous; judge releases one suspect Copyright © 1998 The Associated Press LAS VEGAS (February 21, 1998 11:12 p.m. EST http://www.nando.net) -- A substance feared to be a biological weapon turned out to be a safe form of anthrax used in animal vaccines, and one of the two men arrested in a case that sent fear through the region was released from jail Saturday. "I absolutely have no hard feelings," a visibly shaken William Leavitt Jr. said at a news conference, calling the circumstances that led to his arrest "misunderstandings and probably some miscommunication." The FBI insisted Saturday that arresting the two men on biological weapons charges was necessary to protect the public. "Because of the potential serious threat to the community, our actions had to be quick and decisive," said Bobby Siller, special agent in charge of the FBI's Las Vegas office. "We had to act the way we did." A judge signed an order releasing one of the men, William Leavitt Jr., Saturday. Under an agreement his attorney reached with prosecutors, Leavitt will be allowed to remain free on his own recognizance while authorities determine whether to drop charges. The other man arrested in the case, Larry Wayne Harris of Lancaster, Ohio, who is on probation for an earlier conviction, remained in jail and was scheduled to appear in court Monday for a detention hearing. Leavitt was not required to go to that hearing. The anthrax material, tested at an Army laboratory at Fort Dietrick, Md., was found by FBI agents Wednesday during the arrests of Leavitt and Harris. Both men were charged with conspiracy to possess and possession of a biological agent for use as a weapon. Tests showed the material was not military-grade anthrax, which is potent enough to kill thousands of people. "Legally, this means their case goes down the toilet," said Lamond Mills, Leavitt's lawyer. "I would expect the U.S. attorney to drop the charges. "Let them now 'fess up and say it was a mistake," he said. Mills said a deal to drop charges against Leavitt would require him to promise to stop some of his laboratory work. Another one of his attorneys, Kirby Wells, said Leavitt, 47, was emotional after hearing about the tests. "I told him the good news. We embraced," he said. Siller declined to explain why charges would not be dropped immediately. He defended the FBI's investigation, which was based on an informant's tip and statements made by the suspects, and said it would have been "irresponsible" not to follow up on the allegation. Leavitt and Harris had, themselves, portrayed the material as dangerous military-grade anthrax, Siller said. Agents also seized other biological material in Ohio from houses owned by Harris, a former Aryan Nations member. That material was still being tested at Fort Dietrick, and those tests will not be completed before Monday. A message left at the federal public defender office, which is representing Harris, was not immediately returned. Harris, 46, pleaded guilty in 1995 to wire fraud after his arrest for obtaining three vials of freeze-dried bubonic plague bacteria through the mail. He was put on 18 months of probation. Even if the biological weapons charge is dropped, Harris could still face penalties for violating probation. Harris and Leavitt were turned in by Ronald Rockwell, whom the FBI portrayed as a "citizen performing his civic duty." Mills called Rockwell a twice-convicted extortionist and scam artist who went to the FBI when a business deal turned sour. Rockwell, a Las Vegas resident, said in media interviews he was scared when Leavitt and Harris, who were interested in what he portrayed as his disease-fighting machine, said they had the deadly bacteria. Leavitt and Harris were arrested outside a medical office in Henderson, Nev. The case frightened many around the country, especially near Las Vegas. People flooded talk-radio shows asking about evacuation plans, the symptoms of anthrax and the safety of the region's water supply. Surplus stores sold out of stocks of gas masks. The arrests came as the United States was considering military action against Iraq for harboring biological weapons. Five days before the arrests, Rockwell and Leavitt appeared for two hours on a local radio show to talk about how they planned to test biological agents being brought to Las Vegas by Harris, according to a tape of the show reviewed Saturday. They said during "The Lou Epton Show" on KXNT-AM on Feb. 13 that the testing was to be done on a device that could cure an anthrax infection. By MICHAEL FLEEMAN, Associated Press Writer Copyright © 1998 Nando.net ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ This mailing list is processed through Majordomo at Oakland University. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send electronic mail to majordomo@oak.oakland.edu. In the message body put: unsubscribe okcty - --1915762710-1542453501-888244729=:8147-- - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998 09:35:26 -0800 From: Liberty or Death Subject: From Dr. Laura Whilst listening to Dr. Laura yesterday, I heard the following: Apparently, a pastor friend of hers sent her a note. It seems that a member of his congregation was a trekkie and had used checks with various Star Trek scenes on them. When counting tithes and offerings each Sunday, the counting folks always got a kick out of seeing her Star Trek checks, which, while the scenes varied, also had a Star Trek quote (of her choice, apparently) that never varied. Well, the woman decided to switch to Star Wars. She picked the famous Han Solo quote: "I have a bad feeling about this..." to go on the various Star Wars scenes on the checks. All was well, as the counter folks enjoyed the new Star Wars checks for a while. Then she decided to switch to Scenes from the Bible. But she didn't like any of the available Bible quotations, so she just left that part of the form she filled out for the new checks blank. The folks that print the checks saw the blank quote thing and decided that she apparently wanted to keep the same quote from Star Wars with her new Scenes from the Bible checks. So, the new checks had things like Moses parting the Red Sea, with the quote: "I have a bad feeling about this..." And David facing Goliath: "I have a bad feeling about this..." And Moses going up the mountain to meet with God: "I have a bad feeling about this..." !!! I loved it! - - Monte -------------------------------------------------------------------- "Maybe freedom's just one of those things that you can't inherit." - Peter Bradford, in the film "Amerika" -------------------------------------------------------------------- The Idaho Observer http://www.proliberty.com/observer - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998 13:10:21 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: Reform party was working to elect Democrats over Republicans I smell a rat? The more I read this the more I get mad. I was one of the idiots who supported Perot until he pulled out when the polls showed him hitting 30% and increasing. Then the guy had the balls to claim it was over Bush dirty tricks and his daughters pending wedding, give me a break the guy is a fake. Now we find the Reform party working to actually help the old party "Democrats" win back seats from current Republicans. Now come on, anyone who is a reformer knows that when the Democrats had the house, taxes, regulations, debt, corruption and big government were on the rise. I think this is incredible and shows that the Reform party and Perot must be in the pocket of the Democrats and are only about diverting true reform away from the freshmen Republicans or Libertarians toward a false Messiah. This is just as bad as the Mafia controlled Labor unions running all those attack ads against Dull "Dole" about all the starving children and old people who the mean Republican reformers were going to throw into the streets by reforming Social Security and Welfare. The more things change the more they remain the same. The Good Old Boy corruption racket of Washington DC is still in charge of politics. Paul Watson - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- February 20, 1998 INTERN SCANDAL CANCELS PEROT OFFER ASSOCIATED PRESS DALLAS (AP) -- Ross Perot's top lieutenants dangled the prospect of using the billionaire's deep pockets to help Democrats seize control of the House, but abruptly shelved the idea after the Monica Lewinsky matter soured their mood. "Democrats have some self-policing to do," said Russell Verney, chairman of the Perot-founded Reform Party. With President Clinton's party deep in debt and struggling to overcome an 11-seat GOP majority in the House, Democrats welcomed signals that Perot might lend a hand. Yet party officials said they never expected the Reform Party to follow through on the suggestion; they entertained the notion simply to maintain communication with the party, its voters and Perot, Democrats said. "We didn't have any expectations" about Perot's support, said Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Dan Sallick. "And we still don't." Dissatisfied with the GOP leadership, Reform Party vice presidential candidate Pat Choate proposed in November that party members target 40 to 50 vulnerable House Republicans for defeat in 1998. "We can win enough votes to shift control of the House," he said. Two weeks ago, Verney met for breakfast at a Washington hotel with Mike Wessel, general counsel to House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., and Paul Frick, political director for the Democratic National Campaign Committee. They discussed vulnerable Republican congressional districts and the strength of Perot voters in those areas. By all accounts, Verney ended the meeting by voicing distaste for the brewing Lewinsky scandal; the Democrats contended the controversy would not effect the party's chances in 1998. Verney says he told the Democrats they were unlikely to get help from the Reform Party while the Lewinsky scandal is percolating. "I essentially told them that circumstances had changed radically," Verney said in an interview. "I'm not so sure if our strategy is capable of working anymore. ... The issue of character and integrity is going to be important in 1998, so we have to be concerned about all this." The strategy called for the Reform Party and Democrats to identify districts with vulnerable incumbent Republicans and large numbers of Perot voters, he said. The Reform Party, which is trying to be less reliant on Perot's money and magnetism, would recruit and manage candidates against the targeted GOP congressmen. Yet, Verney said the party had been expected to ask Perot to pay for a national advertising campaign promoting the effort. However, a senior Democratic official familiar with the meeting said Verney never spelled out the strategy, nor did he tie the possibility of Reform Party support to the Lewinsky matter. Privately, senior Democrats expressed skepticism about whether the party actually intended to help. A Democratic Party spokesman played down the significance of the meeting. "Our goal with a meeting like this is to establish an open line of communication," Sallick said. He urged the Reform Party not to jump to conclusions about Clinton's relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. "We would just hope they would keep an open mind ... if they have a dissatisfaction with the Republican leadership in Congress." Perot and Gephardt have met privately since Choate's statement in November, but aides said they doubt the Missouri lawmaker raised the topic of Reform Party help. Perot has the resources to make a difference: He spent $60 million of his own money to run for president in 1992. Four years later, he accepted a federal grant of nearly $30 million that limited his spending then to $5,000. Verney said he had serious questions about Clinton's denials of an affair with Ms. Lewinsky. "You can't hide from the truth," he said of Clinton. Alluding to House Speaker Newt Gingrich's $300,000 fee for ethics violations, Verney said, "Gingrich proved you can lie for $300,000. Clinton proved you can lie for free." Verney said he was not speaking for Perot, who was not commenting on the Lewinsky matter or the plan to help Democrats. _________________________________________________________________ - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998 13:24:30 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: All charges dropped in Anthrax case - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Today's News =20 ALL WEAPONS CHARGES DROPPED IN ANTHRAX CASE =20 Tuesday, February 24, 1998 =20 =20 By MICHAEL FLEEMAN The Associated Press =20 LAS VEGAS -- Two men arrested in an anthrax scare were cleared Monday of all biological weapon charges, but one still faced new allegations of violating his probation. =20 Federal prosecutors withdrew felony charges against William Leavitt Jr. and Larry Wayne Harris, who each had faced counts of conspiracy to possess and possession of biological material for use as a weapon. =20 "It's over. It's done. I want to get in with my life," Leavitt, 47, told a news conference before entering the downtown federal court building. =20 Harris and Leavitt, of Logandale, Nev., were arrested last week in suburban Henderson, Nev., in a case that sent a shudder across the nation. =20 But weekend tests showed the material contained in glass vials seized from the men was actually a harmless anthrax vaccine for animals. Additional test results, released Monday, showed that material seized from Harris' Ohio home also was a safe vaccine. =20 Leavitt was released from jail over the weekend on his own recognizance -- although the FBI continued to search his home. Harris remained in jail. =20 Harris was accused of violating probation terms prohibiting him from doing any bacteria studies on his own. And he allegedly misrepresented himself in an unrelated case as being associated with the CIA. =20 Harris violated at least three provisions of his 18-month probation, U.S. Attorney Sharon Zealey said Monday. He threatened to possess anthrax for use as a weapon, conducted bacteria experiments on his own, and misrepresented himself in an unrelated case as being associated with the CIA, she said. =20 He could receive up to five years in prison if convicted of the alleged probation violations. =20 =20 =20 Copyright =A91998 Bergen Record Corp. =20 - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998 17:13:47 -0500 (EST) From: Brad Subject: Re: CAS: (OT)Reagan.com: Larry Harris: Dangerous Kook or Patriot ? (fwd) I heard Harris on the radio once, claiming that Ohio was under anthrax attack or some similarly absurd thing. I vote for kook. And maybe "useful idiot." bd On Mon, 23 Feb 1998 pwatson@utdallas.edu wrote: > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 17:45:45 -0600 > From: Brenda Jinkins > To: CAS > Subject: CAS: (OT)Reagan.com: Larry Harris: Dangerous Kook or Patriot ? > > For education and discussion. Not for commercial use. > > The Reagan > Information > Interchange > www.reagan.com > > Larry Harris - A dangerous Kook with Anthrax or Patriot? > > Microbiologist Harris Has been Warning People > About Biological War > > By: Mary Mostert, Editor - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998 16:27:01 -0800 From: Liberty or Death Subject: >>> Steel on Steel <<< Might I be so bold as to suggest that y'all mosey over to http://www.audiocentral.com/rshows/sos/default.html and listen to the last 2 "Steel on Steel" programs with John Loeffler? In the latest, John (and Chuck Missler) interview Don McAlvaney about Y2K and other assorted problems coming our way. It's called "Economic Instability," and it's excellent. In the previous, "Presidential Scandal," John and Chuck interview Ambrose Evans-Pritchard about much more than just presidential scandals. Extremely good program. Steel on Steel is a weekly radio program, heard on 80+ stations around the country. In my opinion, it's the best program out there. And with RealAudio you can listen to an archive of previous programs. I'm not kidding, folks, this is extremely good stuff. John's the best, and his guests are the cream of the crop. Go check it out. - - Monte -------------------------------------------------------------------- "Maybe freedom's just one of those things that you can't inherit." - Peter Bradford, in the film "Amerika" -------------------------------------------------------------------- The Idaho Observer http://www.proliberty.com/observer - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1998 07:27:54 -0500 From: Tom Cloyes Subject: Re: CAS: (OT)Reagan.com: Larry Harris: Dangerous Kook or Patriot ? (fwd) I heard him talk last summer and had the chance afterwards to talk with him directly. He could best be described as someone who is trying to educate people about the dangers associated with a possible bacteriological attack of anthrax/plague that a co-worker had relayed to him. He may or may not be a fraud, but his message is true. Tom At 05:13 PM 2/24/98 -0500, you wrote: >I heard Harris on the radio once, claiming that Ohio was under anthrax >attack or some similarly absurd thing. I vote for kook. And maybe >"useful idiot." > >bd > >On Mon, 23 Feb 1998 pwatson@utdallas.edu wrote: > >> >> >> >> >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >> Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 17:45:45 -0600 >> From: Brenda Jinkins >> To: CAS >> Subject: CAS: (OT)Reagan.com: Larry Harris: Dangerous Kook or Patriot ? >> >> For education and discussion. Not for commercial use. >> >> The Reagan >> Information >> Interchange >> www.reagan.com >> >> Larry Harris - A dangerous Kook with Anthrax or Patriot? >> >> Microbiologist Harris Has been Warning People >> About Biological War >> >> By: Mary Mostert, Editor > > > >- > > > - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998 17:27:08 -0500 From: mestetsr@dunx1.ocs.drexel.edu Subject: Obscenity Hearings Forwarding along... > > Attached is an article from yesterday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette >regarding a House hearing on proposed changes in PA's obscenity laws. As you >will see, three changes are proposed, all of which appear to have religious >right fingerprints on them, and all with far-reaching implications: > > 1. To change the "commununity" by which "community standards" are >judged from the state to the county. > > 2. To delete "educational" from the list of redeeming social >values which protect a work from obscenity charges. > > 3. To change obscenity from a misdemeanor to a felony, with >resulting increases in penalties. > > The first of these proposals, if passed, would almost certainly cause >an immediate increase in the number of obscenity trials in PA. > > It is clear from the article that some groups--namely, the mass media-- >are fighting these proposals. Does anyone know whether any public interest >groups are aware of this situation and taking any action? What about the >American Library Association, for example? If you can put me in touch >with any >such groups, I'd appreciate it. > > Lloyd Stires > >Dr. Lloyd K. Stires >Department of Psychology >Indiana University of Pennsylvania >Indiana, PA 15705-1068 >(412) 357-2579 >lstires@grove.iup.edu > >******************************************************************************* > > > New standard sought to assess obscenity > > Thursday, February 19, 1998 > > By Frank Reeves, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Correspondent > > HARRISBURG -- A House panel considered legislation yesterday that > would let juries use a countywide standard to assess whether a book, > movie, videocassette or other form of expression is obscene. > > Juries determining whether sexually explicit material is obscene under > Pennsylvania's obscenity statute now apply a statewide standard. > > The legislation's proponents told the House Judiciary Committee > subcommittee on courts that passing the bill would make it easier for > prosecutors to win convictions against adult bookstore owners and > others who traffic in pornography. > > "A statewide standard serves no other purpose than to give > (pornography industry lawyers) a vague and confusing concept they can > use to throw sand into the eyes of juries," said Dorn Checkley, state > director of Pennsylvanians vs. Pornography, a Pittsburgh-based > anti-obscenity group. > > "It is hard enough to ask a jury to figure out what is acceptable in > their community, much less asking them to try to figure out what is > acceptable in Erie or Allentown, in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia." > > But critics warned that letting jurors apply county standards of > decency could potentially create a confusing patchwork of obscenity > rules for each of the state's 67 counties. They said such a result > could hamper distribution of books, movies and newspapers across the > state. > > Speaking on behalf of the Pennsylvania Newspapers Publishers > Association and four other newspaper groups, John V.R. Bull, assistant > to the editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer, warned that if the bill > passed, "newspapers could become little more than bland, watered-down > bulletin boards, carriers of meeting notices, local public events and > other noncontroversial items. > > "In practice, newspapers would have to tailor their content -- > everything from allegations against the president of the United States > to bra advertising by their local department store -- to the community > with the most restrictive standards," he said. "Even newspapers that > hold back the specifics of the allegations against the president might > well be exposed -- if you'll forgive the term -- to prosecution." > > Joining the newspaper groups in opposition were the National > Association of Theatre Owners of Pennsylvania and the Motion Picture > Association of America, which represent major motion picture and TV > producers, such as Disney, Paramount, MGM and Twentieth-Century Fox. > The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association also opposed the bill. > > Lewis Grafman, attorney for the theater owners group, said his > organization feared that if juries were allowed to apply local > standards, "the First Amendment industries, such as local theaters, > would become too easy a target for ephemeral community witch hunts and > political interests." > > But the legislation's sponsor, Rep. Thomas Armstrong, R-Lancaster, > said such fears were little more than "smoke and mirrors" to confuse > the issue. He said his bill wasn't aimed at "mainstream" newspapers, > magazines or films. He challenged critics to cite one instance in > which even an R-rated movie or a newspaper had been successfully > prosecuted for obscenity in states that let juries apply local > standards. > > The U.S. Supreme Court, in a landmark 1973 case, Miller vs. > California, defined the criteria to decide whether a book, film or > other material was obscene. The court said the key test was "whether > the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would > find the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest." > > In 1977, the Legislature revised Pennsylvania's obscenity statute to > reflect the U.S. high court ruling. State lawmakers then defined > "contemporary community standards" as a statewide measure. > > Armstrong said several states, including Florida, Utah and Virginia, > had adopted local standards rather than statewide ones to assess > whether material is obscene. He said the courts had upheld these > standards as constitutional. > > Current state law also defines an obscene work as one that, when > "taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, > educational or scientific value." Armstrong's bill would delete > "educational" from that definition. > > Armstrong introduced a similar bill in the 1995-96 session. The House > passed it, 115-77, but it died in the Senate. > > His bill also would increase the penalty for violating the obscenity > law. Anyone convicted of giving a child an obscene book or using a > child in a obscene work would be guilty of a third-degree felony and > face a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine. > Such a conviction now is just a first-degree misdemeanor, with a > five-year maximum prison penalty and a $10,000 fine for a first > offense. Any subsequent offense is a third-degree felony. > ______ > ************************************************************** * "Just when you think you've got me figured out * * The season's already changing..." -- Meredith Brooks * * mestetsr@post.drexel.edu * ************************************************************** - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1998 09:02:33 -0500 (EST) From: Brad Subject: Re: CAS: (OT)Reagan.com: Larry Harris: Dangerous Kook or Patriot ? (fwd) But, whether deliberately or accidentally, he provided substantial fodder for the KGBATFBI and their lap-dog media to use to smear a lot of people. bd On Wed, 25 Feb 1998, Tom Cloyes wrote: > I heard him talk last summer and had the chance afterwards to talk with him > directly. He could best be described as someone who is trying to educate > people about the dangers associated with a possible bacteriological attack > of anthrax/plague that a co-worker had relayed to him. He may or may not be > a fraud, but his message is true. > Tom > > At 05:13 PM 2/24/98 -0500, you wrote: > >I heard Harris on the radio once, claiming that Ohio was under anthrax > >attack or some similarly absurd thing. I vote for kook. And maybe > >"useful idiot." > > > >bd > > > >On Mon, 23 Feb 1998 pwatson@utdallas.edu wrote: > > > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > >> Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 17:45:45 -0600 > >> From: Brenda Jinkins > >> To: CAS > >> Subject: CAS: (OT)Reagan.com: Larry Harris: Dangerous Kook or Patriot ? > >> > >> For education and discussion. Not for commercial use. > >> > >> The Reagan > >> Information > >> Interchange > >> www.reagan.com > >> > >> Larry Harris - A dangerous Kook with Anthrax or Patriot? > >> > >> Microbiologist Harris Has been Warning People > >> About Biological War > >> > >> By: Mary Mostert, Editor > > > > > > > >- > > > > > > > > - > > - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1998 12:47:03 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: China Denies Selling Prisoners Organs - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Reuters New Media Tuesday February 24 3:07 PM EST China Denies Selling Prisoners' Organs BEIJING (Reuters) - China Tuesday denied it had a program to market body parts of executed prisoners one day after a U.S. attorney arrested two Chinese nationals for allegedly conspiring to sell human organs. "The Chinese government has indicated that such incidents will not happen in China," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao told reporters when asked about the arrests. "If such incidents do occur, Chinese law will punish the offenders," Zhu said. The U.S. Attorney in Manhattan said Monday it had arrested two Chinese nationals for allegedly offering to sell corneas, kidneys, skin and lungs to an undercover agent posing as head of a kidney dialysis center. One of the men, Wang Chengyong, had told the agent the organs had come from executed prisoners, whose deaths he personally oversaw to ensure the parts would be viable for transplant, the attorney's office said. The attorney's complaint against the men alleges that Wang signed contracts to provide organs for a 25 percent cut of the transplant fee. Wang, described as a former state prosecutor, and accomplice Fu Xingqi, had offered two corneas for $5,000, the undercover agent said. The men were arrested last Friday. The London-based rights group Amnesty International said China executed more than 4,300 people in 1996, more than the rest of the world combined and 20 times more than second-place Ukraine. Western rights activists have alleged China systematically harvests the organs of executed prisoners without the consent of their families for sale to patients needing transplants. Beijing has denied such charges. _________________________________________________________________ - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1998 12:52:34 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: Study: US Science Students Behind World (fwd) - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Reuters New Media Tuesday February 24 3:06 PM EST Study: US Science Students Behind World By Leslie Gevirtz BOSTON (Reuters) - U.S. high school seniors are among the world's worst at mathematics and science, according to an international study released Tuesday. U.S. 12th graders outperformed only three countries -- Lithuania, Cyprus and South Africa -- among the 21 nations that took part in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). "This is unacceptable," U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley said in a statement. "We need to have higher expectations for our students. Many of our students stop taking math and science after 10th or 11th grade ... even among college bound high school seniors, 51 percent have not even taken four years of science." The report ranked the Netherlands and Sweden as having the top performing students in mathematics and science. Asian countries chose not to participate in the TIMSS 12th grade study. Tuesday's results complemented those released in November 1996 for 41 countries at the seventh and eighth grades, and in June 1997 for 26 countries at the third and fourth grades. Some 500,000 students of different grades participated in the studies by taking an exam in 1995. Analyzing the three sets of results was responsible for the delay in publishing conclusions. "In most countries, there was a substantial gender difference favoring males on all three tests," said TIMSS director and Boston College Professor Albert Beaton. Males outperformed females in all but one of the 21 countries -- South Africa -- tested in mathematics and science literacy. Despite different educational approaches, structures and organizations, "it is clear that parents' education is positively related to students' mathematics and science literacy," the study said. "As was the case for eighth graders, in every country final-year students whose parents had more education had higher mathematics and science literacy," the researchers reported. Dr. Michael Martin, TIMSS's deputy director, said: "The literacy we are speaking of is the kind of knowledge that a variety of countries and cultures agree an educated person should know. "For mathematics, a bit of trigonometry, algebra, geometry and the sort of stuff that goes along with that. In science, it's the general stuff," Martin said, pointing to a passing familiarity with geology, biology, basic chemistry and some physics. The students ranged in age from 17 to 21 depending on when they were in their final year in secondary school. In Iceland, which placed third overall, "students start school later and finish it later," Martin said. "It's kind of hopeful really. I mean they start school later in life, but yet are obviously able to master the subjects." Students in most countries reported spending between two and three hours a day on homework on average. However, 25 percent or more of final-year students in Austria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States reported studying for less than an hour a day. Individual countries provided funding for the national implementation of the tests and therefore decided which tests their students would take. The U.S. Education Department, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Canadian government funded international coordination for TIMSS. The following are two examples of questions that the U.S. high school seniors and those finishing secondary schools in 20 other countries were asked as part of the TIMSS: Q: From a batch of 3,000 light bulbs, 100 were selected at random and tested. If five of the light bulbs in the sample were found to be defective, how many defective light bulbs would be expected in the entire batch? A: 15 B: 60 C: 150 D: 300 E: 600 The correct answer is C. Q: Nuclear energy can be generated by fission or fusion. Fusion is not currently being used in reactors as an energy source. Why is this? A: The scientific principles on which fusion is based are not yet known. B: The technological processes for using fusion safely are not developed. C: The necessary raw materials are not readily available. D: Waste products from the fusion process are too dangerous. The correct answer is B. _________________________________________________________________ - - ------------------------------ End of roc-digest V2 #79 ************************