U.S. ARMY TORTURES JOURNALISTS

They told us to arrive at the gates of Fort Lewis by 7:00 a.m. on March 16. From there, we--the press--would be escorted to the site where, for only the second time in U.S. Army history, a general was being court-martialed.

Major General David Hale, the former Deputy Inspector General of the Pentagon, stood accused of 17 violations of military law. He had allegedly had sex with the wives of four subordinate officers, lied to top officials at the Pentagon, and ordered a government employee to delete computer files.

But by the time we arrived at our bleak, urine-yellow "press room," the number of charges had been reduced from 17 to eight, and nobody was available to explain why. It was looking like General Hale, with the assistance of his attorney Frank Spinner, was going to get off as easily as he allegedly had with the wives of those under his command.

For four and a half hours I was trapped in the press room, with nothing to do but watch the woman from USA Today play solitaire on her lap-top. We couldn't even go to the bathroom without a uniformed escort.

Finally, at 11:30, Spinner came in. The moment we'd all been waiting for. "I'd like to begin first of all by saying that I do not intend to answer any questions," he said. He then made a brief statement and walked out.

At that point it occurred to me that this is what it must be like to cover a war from D.C.: sitting in a sterile room waiting for somebody to decide what to tell you, and how.--Ben Jacklet


A MUSEUM DIVIDED

Despite the fact that over a million dollars in city money has been spent on the African American Heritage Museum and Cultural Center, the future site of the museum remains an empty, decrepit school building. The project has stalled because of a battle between the project's current board of directors and some members of the group who originally founded the project.

Over a decade ago, a group of activists from the Central District occupied the former Colman School and lived there until the city agreed to build a museum on the site. The project has been plagued by bickering ever since. Currently, two separate factions claim to be in charge of the project. On one side, Omari Tahir, a member of the original founding group, claims to be president of the museum board, and has set up an office on Beacon Hill. On the other side sits Bob Flowers, a VP at Washington Mutual bank who the city appointed to work on the museum.

Charlie James is on the board headed by Flowers. He says his is the legitimate entity, even though Tahir has filled out paperwork naming himself president. "People passing the building are wondering what's been happening," says James. "I tell them, if we didn't have this attempted coup we'd probably have half a million dollars of renovation on it already."--Samantha M. Shapiro


THE CHRISTIANS ARE COMING!

The Christian organization Focus on the Family will be in town May 1 to provide salvation for those suffering from homosexuality. The all-day conference, to be held at the Calvary Fellowship in Mountlake Terrace, will address what the organization perceives as the growing acceptance of homosexuality in Seattle schools and the many ways Jesus can save those at risk of feeling gay.

"Homosexuality is a preventable and treatable condition," says John Paulk, Homosexual and Gender Specialist for Focus on the Family, "not just with years of therapy, but with Jesus Christ." Paulk will kick off the conference with a personal testimonial about how he and his future wife abandoned their gay lifestyles to live in the warm light of God. The event "is presented from a point of view that regards faith as a very important step for those desiring to reorient their sexuality."

Focus on the Family was founded in 1977 in Arcadia, California, by Dr. James Dobson. It started off with a measly 25-minute weekly radio program broadcast by a couple dozen stations, but has grown into an international organization with access to over 4,000 radio markets. Dr. Dobson also spreads the word of Christ through magazines, books, film, and a network of therapists. His services can be purchased online at www.family.org, or over the phone at 1-800-A-FAMILY.--Jill Wasberg