The Times and Democrat from Orangeburg, South Carolina • 4

aitreQIttncfl and Democrat Page 4A, Orangeburg, S.C., Tuesday, February 25 1 997 The hiq stories Federal judge rules Confederate flag can stay on license plates By DALE HOPPER Associated Press Writer BALTIMORE The Confederate bat-tie flag on special Maryland license plates is protected by the First Amendment and cannot be prohibited, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge Frederic Smalkin agreed with the Sons of Confederate Veterans that the Motor Vehicle Administration should not have recalled the plates following complaints from blacks, who said the flag was offensive because of its ties to slavery. "The court just made it real clear you "tan't discriminate against this group because of its political viewpoint," said David Melton, an attorney at The Rutherford Institute in Charlottesville, Va. which represented the group.

"Our client's position is that (the flag) was simply a symbol of chivalry and honor and the government cannot pick and choose the viewpoint it finds to be correct." A spokeswoman for MVA said she could not comment until attorneys for the agency reviewed the order. The state has issued special plates to more than 300 nonprofit organizations. About 80 plates had been issued to members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans over the past several years. After complaints from black members of the General Assembly, MVA Administrator Ronald Freeland announced a recall of those plates on Jan. 2.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans filed suit Jan. 21. Melton said the ruling could allow groups to put other offensive symbols on license plates and predicted attempts may be made to ban all specialty plates. "I think they may get some substantial opposition to that because you have a lot of" volunteer fire departments that would no longer be able to participate," he said. Only one logo has been rejected since the program started in 1990, said Marilyn Corbett, spokeswoman for MVA.

It depicted a naked Buddha to represent the Royal Order of the Jesters. The group agreed to a non-logo plate, she said. Another logo, using the letters "FIT was modified by the Anne Arundel County Professional Firefighters Union, she said Tens of thousands made citizens without full background checks Tests show 3-drug combo effective against AIDS By The Associated Press Democratic in the 1996 election. NS spokesman Eric Andrus confirmed INS officials, while acknowledging they that the agency so far has been unable to ver- made errors in screening the 1.2 million peo- ify that those names and fingerprints were vetted by the FBI, but he said more detailed study might lower the number substantially. In addition, in another 113,000 cases, the applicants' names were checked but their fingerprint cards were rejected by the FBI typically because the prints were smudged.

In some of those cases, Andrus said, a second set of fingerprints may have been sent to correct the problem, but INS has so far been unable to document that. A congressional aide familiar with the issue estimated that from 8 percent to 10 percent of citizenship applicants have some type of rap sheet record of a misdemeanor or felony arrest, but not necessarily a conviction. WASHINGTON -The government failed to do full background checks on as many as 180,000 of the 1 million immigrants granted citizenship last year, and nearly 11,000 of those naturalized had felony arrest records, officials confirmed Monday. Officials of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the parent Justice Department said they have yet to determine how many, if any, of the immigrants not fully checked should have been denied citizenship. Their joint investigation won't be completed for several more months.

Congressional Republicans pointed to the preliminary findings as evidence of their contention that the Clinton administration's Citizenship USA program was rushing to produce new citizens who were expected to vote pie who applied for citizenship in the 1996 fiscal year, have said repeatedly that the ongoing program was not politically motivated. They said Citizenship USA was created to end a backlog of cases that forced many applicants to wait two years before their cases were processed. So far, by matching FBI records and an INS computer database, the internal investigation has found the names of about 66,000 new citizens who apparently were never subjected to an FBI criminal background check, as required by law. "The Justice Department is assuming until shown otherwise that those people were not checked," said Justice spokeswoman Carole Florman. Criticism doesn't keep Clinton from fund-raiser known as reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

The third drug, indinavir, is one of a new class of compounds called protease inhibitors. The two classes of drugs attack HIV, the AIDS virus, in different ways. The drug trials, said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, "confirm the importance of including protease inhibitors in treatment strategies for patients with advanced HTV disease." "Significantly, the current study provides additional evidence that combination approaches using protease inhibitors can reduce the risk of death," said Fauci, director of the NIAID, the agency that supported the drug trial.

Hammer said officials directing the national study moved swiftly after an independent data and safety panel monitoring the trials of the three-drug combination recommended early termination and closure of the trials because of the significant benefit for patients taking all three drugs. The trial had tested a total of 1,156 HTV patients at 33 different hospitals or clinics across the nation. The patients had been enrolled in the study for up to a year, with a median participation of 38 weeks. Patients in the study were randomly assigned to receive either all three of the drugs, or AZT, 3TC and a placebo. "Survival and a delay in disease progression were significantly better in patients receiving the triple combination therapy," the NIAID reported.

Among patients on the triple drug combination, there were 33 instances of disease progression while there were 66 instances among patients taking only AZT, 3TC and a placebo. By PAUL RECER AP Science Writer WASHINGTON AIDS patients live longer and have fewer infections with a three-drug combination that includes a new protease inhibitor drug, a federal health agency announced Monday. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said that in a drug trial of AIDS patients with advanced disease, those taking a combination of zidovudine, lamivudine and indinavir had only half the cancers, infections and deaths of patients who were taking only a two-drug combination. Dr. Scott Hammer of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Boston, the chairman of the national drug test, said all patients in the study are now being given the opportunity to switch to the three-drug combination or to other experimental regimens.

"We have moved very quickly on this," he said. A committee determined last Tuesday that the three-drug combination was very beneficial and recommended the study stop so that all the patients in the drug trial could switch if they wanted to. Hammer said that by last Friday letters had gone out to all of the centers and patients in the drug trials, notifying them of the findings and offering patients the chance to select a new drug combination. He emphasized, however, that no patients should change their medication routine until they have consulted with their doctors. Zidovudine is also known as AZT and lamivudine is known as 3TC.

They are in a class of drugs Clinton told the business audience this is of those historic times when many things are going right for the country, especially for its expanding economy. "The tendency is either to relax and let things happen and have a good time, or frankly find something to fall out about and fight about," he told the audience of about 75 contributors. "And we must not do any of those two things," he said. Clinton that the positive signs in the economic chart represent "what you are investing in" by contributing to the Democratic Party. WASHINGTON (AP) Ignoring criticism over the way Democrats paid for last year's presidential campaign, President Clinton pressed ahead Monday to raise more political cash even the kind he says should be banned.

"I appreciate you being here for our party because this is not something the president can do alone," Clinton told guests at a dinner held by the Democratic Business Council, a donors' group. The event raised $500,000 for the Democratic National Committee, 65 percent of it in unregulated "soft money." Boulder DA seeks sharp investigator for Ramsey case BOULDER, Colo. (AP) The parents of JonBenet Ramsey believe they top the police list of suspects in the brutal murder of their 6-year-old daughter, a family spokesman reiterated Monday. "As I've said all along, it's pretty obvious that from what the police and district attorney have said in recent weeks, they consider the Ramseys at the top of their potential suspect list," Pat Korten said Monday. Search warrants for the Ramseys' home and automobiles will remain sealed for 90 days or until an arrest is made in the case, a judge ruled Monday after prosecutors asked to keep the details secret.

It has been nearly two months since JonBenet's body was found strangled in the basement of her famihs 15-room home here. Eagles are 135th pair confirmed in S.C. Continued from Page 1 A shooting, possession or transportation of an endangered species. The Eagle Protection Act can tack on an additional $5,000 fine. In 1994, a Georgetown man, claiming he didn't realize the bird he shot was an eagle, pleaded guilty to killing one of the threatened birds and was sentenced to three years of probation and a $500 fine.

The judge cited the man's bad health as the reason for not giving him jail time. "It is still an endangered species, but it is still on the upswing," Creel said. "Right now, we're trying to monitor numbers and get landowners to protect nests by providing a zone around it." pair and in 1977 there were only 18. "This is the time of year they nest," SCDNR spokesman Mike Creel said. With wingspans of up to 6 feet, the carnivores with an appetite for fish and small mammals are hard to miss.

Their large presence doesn't fully protect them, however. Bald eagles are protected by several state and federal laws, including the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Laws guarding eagles are so stringent, the act of disturbing an eagle's nest is punishable by a large fine and prison time. The Endangered Species Act provides for a $10,000 fine and or six months in jail for each count of "We've seen an eagle there in Santee from time to time," she said.

"I appreciate it more than some people did. It's the ultimate for me." With the confirmation of the nest being that of an eagle, Dukes says she will be moving a little quicker in the morning and slower in the evening. "I promise you, I will be going to work early and staving a little later," she said. Orangeburg's two residents are the 135th pair of bald eagles confirmed to be nesting in South Carolina. In 1994, there were 101 Sims: Client never admitted involvement lZZjSSMZZj Continued from Page 1A Sims described what Kemmer-lin said during interviews with SLED investigators in 1995 and after as providing "information she had heard" about the Caffey case would be a preliminary hearing, if Kemmerlin's attorney requests one.

Sims said late Monday afternoon he hadn't seen the indictment and did not want to comment on it. Asked if he would request a preliminary hearing, Sims said he would "sit down and talk with my client" before making a decision. case. store operator who was shot and killed at his house at age 40 by bis son-in-law on March 2, 1984. Betsy Kemmerlin's attorney, Thomas Ray Sims, said she has never confessed to being involved in Caffey's murder.

No sign deputy intoxicated, trucker says "She has never said she was involved at all in a murder," Sims said. Bailey said the next step in the Continued from Page 1 A Industrial park amendment gets first OK ministered until three hours after the accident. "If a Breathalyzer had been administered right after the acci- Continued from Page 1 A nating March as Disabilities Awareness Month. Del Vona Mancle, the 1997 poster child, and one of the youngest persons served at the L. Marion Gressette Center, presented council members with commemorative T-shirts.

nance to amend the Calhoun-Lexington multicounty industrial park ordinance to include additional land in Lexington County. Passed a resolution supporting efforts by the Calhoun County Council on Aging to obtain a 10 percent match grant for a van. Signed a proclamation desig MIMiMF state that the property would revert to the county if it is no longer used for that purpose. In other business, council: Gave first reading to an ordi ST dent, his (Bonnette's) blood-alcohol content may have been lower than it was three hours later when the Breathalyzer was done. It takes a while for the alcohol to get into the blood stream," Lin-gard said.

He said it was possible Bonnette's alcohol consumption had not been that great the night of the accident. According to S. C. Highway Patrol Cpl. Nick Wallen, Bonnette's blood-alcohol content registered a .17 upon testing by the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety.

A blood-alcohol content of more than .10 can constitute a drunk-driving charge in South Carolina. Bonnette apparently was driving 55 mph in a 45 mph zone when the collision occurred. That was a contributing factor to the accident, Lingard said, although Bonnette was not charged with a speeding violation. Lingard said Officer Brian Smith of the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety administered the Breathalyzer to Bonnette. Smith was "on standby" to testify in Friday's trial, he said.

But Lingard said that after the truck driver's testimony, there was no reason to have Smith testify. Orangeburg Sen. Brad Hutto, Bonnette's attorney, said there were three crucial elements that led Judge Robinson to find his client not guilty of the DUI charge. Hutto said Lingard testified that Bonnette had the right-of-way and that the trucker failed to yield the right-of-way. He pointed out, too, that the trucker testified that if he could have seen Bonnette's headlights he wouldn't have pulled out in front of him.

Carpenter, Hutto said, attributed the limited visibility to the poor design of the intersection at 1-26 and S. C. Highway 210 where the accident occurred. Hutto also stressed the trucker's testimony that he never saw anything about Bonnette that led him to formulate the opinion that Bonnette was intoxicated or that he had been drinking. Pills prevent fertilized egg from implanting Continued from Page 1 A Model G35830WK RCA 35" Diagonal Home Theatre" HP IHigh-Periormance ft i at n.A,'iM.

Mereo nwniwrnemvci IF ttml Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories' Ovral, LoOvral, Nordette and Triphasil, and Berlex Laboratories Levlen and Tri-Levlen. The pills prevent a fertilized egg from implanting into the uterus so that it can grow into an embryo. If a woman already is pregnant, the pills will have no effect. Emergency contraception is different from the controversial abortion pill RU-486, which is awaiting final FDA approval and ends pregnancy by expelling an already growing embryo from the uterus. The emergency contraceptive's side effects are nausea and vomiting, sometimes severe enough to prevent the pills from working.

Over 4 million women have taken emergency contraception in Britain alone, and studies there have shown no serious side ef- mm I Optimum Contrast Screen I Comfj Filter I Color Piduie-ln-Picture Customer Appreciation rrr I I SRS( Sound Retrieval System tion could prevent up to 2.3 million unplanned pregnancies a year, 1 million of which now end in abortion. "We're going to see a really big change here," said Trussell, who helped set up a hot line and Internet service that offers women information about emergency contraception and addresses of nearby doctors who already prescribe it. He said women typically pay $21 for a cycle of birth control pills plus the cost of a doctor's visit To work, two to four birth control pills are taken anytime up to 72 hours after sex not just the "morning after" and then the same dose is taken again exactly 12 hours later. The brands include I ID-Watt Stereo Amplifier I Broadcast Stereo with itn' Noise ReductionSAP I Waster Touch Universal Remote 144-Buttoni 13-Jack AudioVideo Monitor Panel with S-Video Input Channel LaDelma Commercial Skip il 1 A 00 fects. The FDA stopped short of forcing Wyeth-Ayerst and Berlex to relabel their contraceptives to add the emergency use, deciding instead to take the information directly to consumers and physicians.

It is highly unusual for the FDA to declare new uses for a drug when the manufacturer hasn't asked. The agency did name potassium iodide a radiation therapy after the Three Mile Island nuclear accident. Legally, the FDA action is a request for the manufacturers to seek permission to advertise morning-after contraception essentially a pre-approval pending the filing of the proper paperwork. Wyeth-Ayerst reiterated Monday that it won't sell emergency contraception here and said it opposes any efforts to relabel its products. Berlex declined comment.

Litigation concerns aside, the companies also fear a backlash from abortion foes. "We're outraged" by the FDA action, said Judie Brown of the American Life League, which opposes any use of birth control puis but particularly objects to emergency birth control. "Our concern is over, the fate of the preborn child" Thursday, Feb. 27 Friday, Feb. 28 I (Limited Supply) soteb Shoes Uniforms Accessories Fast Tax Returns Electronic Filing NO MONEY DOWN WITH RALBONUS Locally Owned and Operated Since 1966 TRI-COUNTY UNIFORMS SUPPLIES 1717 St.

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