Western Front - 2003 February 25

              'Simpsons' savvy
Homer-like bus driver entertains
riders with trivia questions.
See Story, Page 8.
Gone fishin'
Patient sportsmen cast their lines
into the waters of anticipation.
See Story, Page 12.
The Western Front Western Washington University Volume 124 Issue 12 Bellingham, Washington
Bush fights 30 years of choice
^ash's
•Reproductive
H e a l t h Policy
By Abiah Weaver
THE WESTERN FRONT
Women will not lose their
right to choose despite the Bush
administration's, pro-life . plat­form
and the growing number of
family planning restrictions
threatening Roe v. Wade, said
Christina Kobdish, Planned
Parenthood marketing and com­munications
director.
"If we aren't careful though,
(family planning) will be regu­lated
to death," she said.
"(Legislation and Bush's court
nominations) are chipping away
at the law."
Thirty years ago last month,
the U.S. Supreme Court decided
in the landmark case Roe v.
Wade that the choice to have an
abortion is a fundamental right
guaranteed by the U.S.
Constitution. Since then, hun­dreds
of pieces of legislation
have narrowed abortion laws
and reduced access to family
planning opportunities,
Kobdish said.
Since President Bush entered
office two years ago, he has nom­inated,
appointed and endorsed
hundreds of pro-life men and
women to fill federal judicial and
legislative positions.
"Outlawing abortion is Bush's
goal," Kobdish said;
Congress is currently consid­ering
legislation to bypass the
Roe v. Wade decision by narrow­ing
the definintion of a fetus to
shield it from harm under exist­ing
child protection laws.
Defending Roe v. Wade
On the anniversary of the Jan.
30, 1973 Roe v. Wade decision,
Western senior Carrie Mclnturff
traveled to Olympia and lobbied
with hundreds of other
Washington residents, urging
lawmakers to preserve state
abortion laws.
'Tve had the right to choose
for my entire life," Mclnturff
said. 'I've never had to fight for
the right. With all of the talk of
Supreme Court nominations, a
lot of people, especially college
students, are starting to realize-that
they take the right to have
an abortion for granted."
Abortion is a legal option in
Washington, The state can only
interfere in a woman's decision if
the procedure .would take place
after the fetus is viable: the peri­od
when the fetus can survive
outside the woman's body.
"Washington is one of the
most supportive states in the
country," Kobdish said. "Gov.
See LEGISLATION, Page 4
Abiah Weaver/The Western Front
Bellingham resident Anne Soine cuddles her daughter,
Angelica, after completing a parenting class at the Whatcom
County Pregnancy Center. She said she is thankful she
chose not to have an abortion.
Threat of war
looms, but
lecturer keeps
faith in future
By Joshua Fejeran
THE WESTERN FRONT
Despite the threat of war in
Iraq and new legislation limit­ing
civil liberties, Lewis Lapham
said he is still optimistic for the
future.
"I think democracy still has a
chance," Lapham said. "It's a
very hard act to perform, and it
requires people to speak and
think in their own voices."
Lapham, a noted author and
editor of Harper's magazine,
spoke Friday night on the
Performing Arts Center main-stage
as part of Western's
Distinguished Lecture Series.
Lapham discussed the Bush
administration, the impending
conflict in Iraq and the role of
mainstream media in America.
"The^JBush . administration
equates, the American spirit
with power and not with liberty,"
Lapham said.
Lapham described the
nation as an oligarchy, where
the "frightened rich" rule
America. He said the nation's
~ See LAPHAM, Page 4
State House approves $1.5 million for fire damages
By Joe Mack
THE WESTERN FRONT
The state House of Representatives
approved a supplemental budget legisla­tion,
which accounts for unanticipated
expenses, Feb. 21. The budget will par­tially
aid in the Parks Hall recovery after
the building suffered a fire last summer,
according to a House press release.
Through Senate bill 5403, the
Legislature will provide Western with
$1.5 million of. the $119.5 million appro­priated
from the state's general budget
fund for the 2003 Supplemental
Operating Budget, according to the bill
summary.
Total renovation costs for Parks Hall
was $4 million, Director of Facilities
Management Tim Wynn said. University
buildings are not insured, so the state
provides repair funds when t he need aris­es.
Western paid the full costs since the
legislature was not in session during the
repair period last summer, he said.
Wynn said the money would not go
toward the Fairhaven fire recovery.
Instead, Western will use the money to
restart two major maintenance projects
that were postponed because of financial
issues that arose following the Parks
Hall fire.
"The $1.5 million will be used in com­pleting
a steam loop in the central area of
campus," Wynn said. 'The other (project)
is redoing the water system in the
Ridgeway dorms for better flow capacity."
Wynn said he does not anticipate left­over
money after the projects are com­pleted.
Every two years, the Legislature
adopts a biennial (two-year) state budget,
which covers July 1 through June 30 of
the next year.
Sprinklers not required in all local bars
Carl Weiseth/The Western Front
Western students and Bellingham residents crowd
the Fairhaven Pub and Martini Bar, which does not
have sprinklers, Sunday night.
By Carl Weiseth
THE WESTERN FRONT
Bellingham barflies may want to
carefully consider which clubs they
attend following two recent inci­dents
in which more than 100 people
died in club-related disasters.
On Feb. 17, a pepper spray-induced
panic in a Chicago nightclub
left 21 patrons trampled to death.
Only four days later, hundreds of
concert-goers were killed or hospital­ized
in a blazing fire at a Rhode
Island nightclub.
"It's sad that it all comes to a
head now and we have to see the
real reasons why there are these
safety requirements and inspec­tions,"
Christo's club manager Sara
Fassett said.
Although recent annual inspec­tions
by the fire department at
Bellingham clubs have increased
overall safety, some establishments
still lack fire safety features such as
sprinkler systems.
Preston Burris, building official
for the building services division of
the fire department, said previously
existing businesses are not held to
the same standards required for
newly constructed establishments,
allowing places like the Fairhaven
Pub and Martini Bar and The Royal
to pass safety inspection require­ments
without installing sprinklers.
"Any new business that has an
assembly occupancy and serves beer
or wine and is over 5,000 square feet
is required to have sprinklers,"
Burris said.
Some Bellingham clubs may be
more safe than others, but Burris
said all the ones he knows of cur­rently
meet the legal minimum
safety requirements or are working
to do so. Despite this, older build­ings
like the Fairhaven and the
Royal are still not required to
install sprinkler systems.
'You wouldn't be able to build that
place and put it there now without
sprinkling, but since it was already
built, we've made them clean it up to
reduce the amount of stuff that could
happen," Burris said. "When it was
Anna's Caddyshack, and before that
as the Fairhaven Restaurant, it had
never had adequate exiting, and it's
still not perfect."
See CLUBS, Page 6
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