First Abu Ghraib sentence
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) Spc. Jeremy C. Sivits wept and apologized afterreceiving the maximum penalty of a year in prison and a bad conductdischarge Wednesday in the first court-martial stemming from abuseof Iraqis at the Abu Ghraib prison. His testimony will now be usedto prosecute other U.S. soldiers accused of mistreating prisoners,most immediately, three men from his reserve unit who also appearedin court Wednesday.
Smith counters Kerry
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) released a statement Tuesday in responseto Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s Monday nightappearance in Portland for a rally in Pioneer CourthouseSquare.
In his statement, Smith expressed support for President GeorgeW. Bush’s economic reform, crediting his work on lowering taxes andcreating new jobs.
“John Kerry’s economic policies are simply wrong for Oregon andwrong for America,” Smith said.
He especially targeted Kerry’s stance on raising gas taxes.
Is the road trip worth it?
Gas prices have been shooting up all over the country and Oregon isno exception, holding an average price of $2.27 per gallon, up fromabout $1.68 one year ago.
A spokesperson for AAA Oregon/Idaho estimates that gas priceswill remain about $2 but does not expect a significant decrease inholiday travelers.
The top three contributing factors for the high gas prices, thespokesperson said, are the situation in Iraq, the impending summerdriving season and the current state of supply and demand.
Currently, Democrats in Congress are pushing for a resolutionthat will release 1 million barrels of oil a day from the StrategicPetroleum Reserve for up to 60 days, according to a statement bySen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).