Nation & World News
Charges delay bishop confirmation for gay reverend
Claims including inappropriate
contact prompted a council to delay
a vote for Rev. V. Gene Robinson
By Mark I. Pinsky
The Orlando Sentinel (KRT)
MINNEAPOLIS — The confirma
tion of the first openly gay bishop of
a mainline Protestant denomination
was derailed Monday — at least tem
porarily — when sexual allegations
surfaced regarding the Rev. V. Gene
Robinson of New Hampshire.
In an e-mail to bishops of the Epis
copal Church, USA, a man identifying
himself as David Lewis of Manchester,
Vt., wrote that Robinson "put his
hands on me inappropriately every
time I engaged him in conversation"
at a church event several years ago.
Lewis did not respond to
phone calls.
Another allegation charged that a
Web page created by the Portland,
Maine, chapter of a gay-youth group
Robinson helped found more than a
decade ago had links to sexually ex
plicit sites. That allegation was posted
on a Web site operated by a conserva
tive religious activist.
The New England-based youth
group, Outright, issued a statement
late Monday saying that Robinson
had no involvement with the Port
land chapter. The statement also said
Portland chapter officials had no idea
it was possible to link to the sexually
explicit page.
Outright called the charge tying
Robinson to the sexually explicit site
"an attempt to discredit his important
nomination."
The denomination's Mouse of Bish
ops, which had been poised to
confirm Robinson, instead ordered
an immediate investigation of
the charges.
The timing of the allegations
"seems a little curious to me," said
lames Solheim, a spokesman for the
denomination. Both of the charges
"could have been brought up at any
other time in the process."
Nonetheless, Solheim said, Frank
Griswold, the presiding bishop of the
Episcopal Church, USA, "is taking this
very, very seriously."
Denomination officials were un
able to say how long the investigation
would take. If it is not completed
when the convention ends Friday, the
bishops could vote later by mail.
Some of those closest to Robinson
reacted emotionally to Lewis'
allegations.
"This is horrible. It's character assas
sination," Robyn Cotton, an Episco
palian in Concord, N.H., told The As
sociated Press.
I lowever, the leaders most intense
ly involved in the debate about ho
mosexuality were more cautious.
The Rev. Michael 1 lopkins, head of
Integrity, a group of gay Episcopalians
and their supporters, said he has "ab
solute confidence in Gene Robinson, *
adding that the charges were "frustrat
ing" and "disappointing."
But I lopkins said he was not angry
and, as a pastor, was not willing to
dismiss the charges simply because of
the timing.
"Part of me wants to be suspi
cious," 1 lopkins said, "but it is not in
frequent that victims come forth at
the last minute."
The Rev. David Anderson, head of
the conservative American Anglican
Council, which opposes both the
Robinson nomination and the bless
ing of same-sex unions, urged caution
in responding to the allegations.
"Gene deserves the right to defend
himself," Anderson said, noting that
the Lewis allegation may be "spurious."
"I don't want to pass judgment,"
he said. “It may be that he is com
pletely innocent."
Anderson acknowledged that
members of his organization brought
the gay-youth group's Web site to the
attention of denomination officials.
But he also said that, while Robin
son helped organize and publicize the
Outright organization, "I le may have
no responsibility" for the links put up
by the Portland, Maine, chapter.
"We need to take a deep breath and
cool off a little bit," Anderson said.
"Those of us who find ourselves in the
spotlight know that some really
strange things can be said about us,"
said Bishop John 1 lowe of the Central
Florida diocese. "At this point, I'm
praying for Gene Robinson."
(c) 2003, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.).
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune
Information Services.
Homeland Security to suspend Travel Without Visa’program
A Department of Homeland Security
directive will suspend in the name of
security two programs that allow
travelers to speed through airports
By Doreen Hemlock
and Tanya Weinberg
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (KRT)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Air
lines scurried Monday to inform
thousands of passengers flying
through the United States to other
countries that they will need U.S. visas
starting Tuesday, sending e-mails,
posting notices at airport counters
and offering refunds to those clients
who won't be able to travel.
At issue is a U.S. Department of
Homeland Security directive issued
Saturday that suspends two pro
grams — Transit Without Visa and
International-to-lnternational —
that allowed foreigners to make con
nections at U.S. airports without a
U.S. visa. About 615,000 travelers
used the programs last year, most
from Latin America.
Authorities suspended the pro
grams for an initial 60 days after re
cent intelligence reports suggested po
tential terrorist threats at U.S. airports
in the East Coast.
By itself, the new rule will have a
limited impact yet to be quantified,
aviation executives said Monday.
The measure won't affect citizens
of 27 countries, mostly rich nations
in Europe, who don't need a visa to
enter the United States anyway. Nor
does it affect those travelers from de
veloping nations who already have
U.S. visas, including many top exec
utives from South and Central
America who frequent the United
States on business.
But it could stop tens of thousands
of travelers a year from traveling
through Miami International Airport,
mainly Latin Americans who would
could not qualify for a U.S. visa or
don't want to endure weeks or
months waiting for visa approvals.
They could re-route their in-transit
business instead to Panama, Mexico,
Canada or other nations.
The rule adds to a host of security
directives issued after Sept. 11, 2001,
terror attacks that together have dealt
a serious blow to international busi
ness in the United States and threaten
to undermine future business.
For example, starting last Friday,
most applicants for U.S. visas must
now appear for personal interviews at
U.S. consulates overseas, a require
ment that could add "a few weeks" to
the time it already takes to apply for a
visa, said a spokesman for the U.S.
State Department's consular bureau.
"We may well win the war against
terrorism but at the expense of stran
gling our economy," said John P.
Bauer, president of food importer-ex
porter Basic Foods International of
Fort Lauderdale and honorary consul
of Guatemala in an e-mail Monday.
Security and visa problems have
contributed, for instance, to a more
than 12 percent drop in international
passengers since 2000 at Miami Inter
national, one of the largest airports
nationwide for international traffic.
Miami handled nearly 2 million few
er international passengers last year
than it did in 2000.
Headaches at Spain's Iberia Air
lines illustrate the nagging and
growing problems.
Last year, Iberia considered mov
ing its hub from Miami after
changes in U.S. security procedures
forced delays of up to four hours for
passengers switching between inter
national flights. Gov. Jeb Bush inter
vened to save Florida jobs and Iberia
traffic, persuading federal authori
ties to streamline in-transit proce
dures in Miami.
On Monday, the carrier scrambled
to contact passengers — especially in
Central America — about Saturday's
new rule on U.S. connecting flights,
suggesting alternate routes through
Mexico and other nations.
And more mles are coming.
"Our big concern is that come Oct.
1, new rules say Europeans will need
a U.S. visa unless they have a ma
chine-readable passport," Iberia
spokeswoman Margarita Blanco said
from Madrid.
Spain and other nations are now
working to issue the new high-tech
documents, but it's unclear they'll all
be ready in time to meet the needs
of millions who visit the United
States each year, European officials
have said.
Amid the scramble, the U.S. De
partment of 1 lomeland Security said
it will seek alternatives over the next
60 days to reinstate the two suspend
ed in-transit programs which already
have seen usage drop sharply since
Sept. 11,2001.
Authorities said 381,065 travelers
used the Transit Without Visa and
233,454 used the Intemational-to-ln
ternational programs last fiscal year.
That's down by more than half from a
total 1.6 million passengers a year ear
Fire
continued from page 1
Only 14 members of the fraternity
are residing at the house this sum
mer, Theta Chi member Alec
Horley said.
Justin Brownlie, one of the five fra
ternity members living on the third
floor where the bulk of the fire
burned, said the house's fire alarm
went off shortly before 7 p.m.,
prompting fraternity members to
rush to the third floor room to inves
tigate. Brownlie said he ran down
stairs to check the fire alarm system,
and when he ran back up the room
was engulfed in flames.
He said a few members attempted
to extinguish the fire before deciding
it was too big to handle.
"We tried to put it out, then we de
cided to get the hell out of there," he
said. "It was out of control. There was
no way we could put it out. It was
pretty nuts."
Firefighters responding to the
alarm arrived shortly after.
Diego Kelly, a member of the adja
cent Delta Tau Delta fraternity, said
he and fellow fraternity member Sky
lar Borman saw the beginning of the
fire. Borman then called 9-1-1 to re
port the outbreak.
"All of the sudden it just grew a
lot," Kelly said. "Luckily, the fire
trucks came at the right time."
When firefighters arrived at the
scene, two crews laid lines for fire
hoses and broke a hole in the roof
to get access and attack the fire, De
Witt said.
Fewer than 100 students stood on
East 19th Avenue watching the fire,
and members of Delta Tau Delta sat
in lawn chairs and watched the
cleanup process from a balcony. By 8
p.m., no more smoke could be seen
escaping from the roof, and many of
the firefighters were milling around
the front of the house, resting from
their efforts.
Crews remained at the scene to in
vestigate the fire's cause, and DeWitt
said EFD will begin work with the
University today to complete a dam
age assessment.
1 lorley said he was told fraternity
members would be able to move
back into the house Monday night,
and that it was not yet clear who
would foot the bill for damages to
the house.
Contact the managing editor
at janmontry@dailyemerald.com.
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lier, before the Intemational-to-Inter
national plan was temporarily halted
and re instated.
American Airlines, which domi
nates traffic at Miami International,
handled the most passengers under
the Transit Without Visa program:
roughly 93,000, or one-fourth of
the total.
Los Angeles International and Mia
mi International ranked as tops
among airports using the program,
each with roughly 79,000 passengers
last year. And Latin America was the
region benefiting most, with roughly
89,000 from Brazil and 69,000 from
Mexico. Brazilians mainly use Miami
as their hub; Mexicans tend to transit
through Texas.
American Airlines said Monday it
will give refunds to all ticketed pas
sengers who won't be able to travel
because of the new suspensions.
ture trips with U.S. transfers can't by
pass the waits, which already can take
months in some countries.
(c) 2003 South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune
Information Services.
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