Mesa• State College• October 28. 2004 The voice of student:- $ 1 n c e 1 c 3 1 \·olume i~ • Issue O Election 2004 Candidates visit GJ Cheney, others rally support days before general election David Goe Reporter Bush-Cheney '04 signs waved in the air as Republican supporters chanted "four more years!" during Vice Presi­ dent Dick Cheney's visit to Grand Junction. Air Force 'Iwo landed at Walker field as the theme to "Top Gun" played in the hangar where the rally was held. After an introduction from his wife, Lynne, Cheney took to the stage and promised to put Senator John Kerry in "The Danger Zone." "It's good to be back in Colorado, what is obviously Bush-Cheney country," Cheney said. Along with his wife, Cheney was joined onstage by Congressman Scott Mcinnis and wife Lori, U.S. Senate Photos Erik Lincoln/Criterion candidate Pete Coors and wife Marilyn, and Congressio­ Top: Pete Coors (sec­ nal candidate GregWalcher and wife Diana. Coors and ond from left), candi­ Walch er both received plugs from Cheney in their bids date for U.S. Senate, against "the Salazar brothers," Ken and John. his wife Marilyn Coors The crowd cheered the vice president on as he let in to (second from right) Kerry over the Senator's stance on the War on Terror. and candidate for "Our job is Colorado's open 3rd not to conduct Congressional District "You can put all international seat Greg Walcher (far opinion polls," right) walk Vice Presi­ the lipstick you Cheney said dent Dick Cheney and in reference to wife Lynne from Air want on a pig, but Kerry's desire Force Two to a West for a global test Star Aviation hangar it's still a pig:' for fighting ter­ for a rally, Saturday. rorism abroad. - Vice President Dick Cheney "Our job is to Elizabeth Edwards, referring to Senator Kerry during a defend Amer­ wife of Democratic vice Republican rally in Grand Junction ica. We will presidential candidate on Sat urday never seek a John Edwards, answers permission slip a question during a to defend the town hall meeting at United States of America." Mesa State College on The vice president referred to Kerry's recent goose Oct. 18. hunting trip in Ohio as an "October disguise" for gun rights. Wife of Edwards promotes Kerry at town hall meeting . "You and I know the Second Amendment is more than a photo opportunity," Cheney told the crowd. Erik Lincoln A Mesa State College student asked tard seed. Cheney also characterized Kerry as a flip-flopper. Managing Editor Edwards what were her two most Edwards also spoke of a woman "As we say in Wyoming, you can put all the lipstick you Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Dem­ memorable campaign experiences. who froze her children's medicine so want on a pig, but it's still a pig." ocratic vice presidential candidate Edwards told a story about a woman that it would last longer because the Some members of the crowd needed medical atten­ John Edwards, conducted a town hall she met whose son had died in Iraq. woman could not afford more medi­ tion. The Grand Junction Emergency Medical Service meeting in a crowded LiffAuditorium The woman gave Edwards a mustard cine. treated four spectators and transported three to the hos­ on Oct. 18. seed pin which Edwards wore during Local media repeatedly asked Ed­ pital, according to Grand Junction Fire Department Para­ For an hour, Edwards took ques­ the town hall meeting. wards about recent coverage con­ medic Joe White. tions from the audience about na­ The pin represents a Chinese prov­ cerning Mary Cheney, the lesbi­ After delivering his speech, Cheney shook hands with tional security, school vouchers, erb in which a woman travels to a an daughter of Vice President Dick members of the crowd and reminded them to vote. health care, stem-cell research and priest to ask that her child be saved. Cheney. Edwards responded that the The crowd consisted mostly of whites, b ut that did not funding for the No Child Left Behind The priest tells the woman he can­ topic distracted people and the re- Su RALLY, p•g• thrH Act. not help her unless she bums a mus- s.. EDWARDS, p•g• three "' Generals launch offensive on Bush during GJ rally David Goe and Becky Raney on the speakers as they listed reasons why Senator John were in combat," Shevlin said. Staff Kerry would be a better fit as president. He added that troops were over extende1d and they The warm feeling of the Palisade Veterans Memorial Iraq veteran Shevlin returned from a tour spanning didn't have enough man power to guard the lhoarder be­ Community Center quickly turned cold as war veterans form February 2003 to October 2003 and spoke about the tween Iraq and Iran. pointed out Presidents Bush's incompetence as a leader. downfalls of the current occupation. "The world considers the United States of !America the Gen. Merrill McPeak, Gen. Claudia Kennedy, Gen. During his tour, fellow marines were "forced to buy biggest threat to world peace," Gen. Merrill Mlr:Peak said, Dave McGinnis, Gen. Melvyn Montano, Maj. Gen. Ger­ their own uniforms" and didn't have enough supplies to "North Korea was number two." · ald Sajer and Iraq Veteran Jim Shevlin spoke to a group of keep tanks operational. The Vietnam veteran and "recovering ffiepublican" about 50. Veterans from World War II to Vietnam cheered "The president wanted to cut combat pay while troops See W,, page three HAVA changes voting procedures, requires I.D. to vote -David Goe An I.D. issued by the federal or any local government is handicapped people and minorities. At least ome machine Reporter needed to cast a vote. Acceptable forms of identification will be handicapped-accessible, and all machlines will be If you plan to cast a vote this year, bring an I.D. with include a driver's license, birth certificate, U.S. passport, capable of providing ballots in Spanish or otlner languag­ you to the polls. or state-issued ID card. es. The Helping America Vote Act, which was passed by HAVA has led to modernized voting machines, made About $700 mHlion from the federal gove1rnment will Congress last year, is intended to improve the voting pro­ voter registration easier, and secured ballots from tam­ be spent replacing old machines with touch--screen ma­ cess, specifically to prevent problems like those encoun­ pering, according to the Act's proponents. chines, and each state will get a minimum olf $5 million tered in Florida in the last presidential election. Under HAVA, punch card and lever voting systems will to do so. "The biggest impact will be the I.D. requirements," said be replaced by touch-screen machines. The machines HAVA orders each state to create a databaise of regis­ Amy Storm-Farley of the Mesa County Clerk and Record­ will alert voters if they have selected multiple candidates tered voters by 2006. The databases are expeccted to stop er's office. "You didn't need to have an I.D. to vote in the for one position, and will not have hanging chads. In ad­ voters from being purged from registration list:s and, along past, but this year you do." dition, the new voting machines will increase access for with I.D. requirements, help prevent voter frawd. Chiefjustice diagnosed with cancer, building tension in Colorado Senate race Rachel Alexander If Rehnquist chooses to resign or if he point a new justice to the Supreme Court. ity another, the appointment \Will be more News Editor dies, the president will appoint the new According to Casey, the balance of the difficult. The party in the Senattce will try to Chief]ustice William Rehnquist has un­ chief justice; this appointment must be Senate and the man elected to be presi­ block the president's appoint1ment if the dergone throat surgery after a diagnosis of approved by the Senate. dent will be important to future appoint­ nominee is to far to the right Oir left. thyroid cancer, according to the U.S. Su­ According to Tim Casey, professor of ments. "Colorado could tip the ballance in the preme Court. political science, there has not been an If President George Bush is reelected Senate," Casey said. - The chief justice was admitted to Na­ appointment to the Supreme Court in 10 and the Senate remains in the hands of the Gizzi predicts that at least tlnree justices tional Naval Medical Center in Bathesda, years. He said it is rare for the nation to go Republicans, Bush will have an easy time will most likely retire in the nexct four years: Md., on Friday and underwent a trache­ this long without a new appointment. Mi­ appointing his choice to the court. Simi­ Rehnquist, O'Connor and the isenior mis.o­ otomy on Saturday, according to court chael Gizzi, associate professor of political larly, if Sen. John Kerry is elected and the ciate justice John Paul Stevens.. spokeswoman Kathy Arberg. science said that this is the longest period Senate shifts to a Democratic majority, The balance of the court is at stake Arberg said the chief justice will be re­ in the history of the court that there has Kerry will have a simple time appointing when a justice retires. The comrt has a del­ leased from the hospital this week and will been no vacancy. his choice. icate balance between conserrvatives and return to the bench when oral arguments This illness brings to the forefront the If the government is split with the presi­ liberals with conservatives norrmally hold­ resume next week.