PageA2 (Elje 'Portlanò © b sm ier November 05, 2003 Army Accused of Double Standard 'W B An unidentified gunman, fires several shots at his attorney in this television from Court TV, Friday, outside the Los Angeles courthouse. (AP photo) Camera Rolls as Attorney Gets Shot Victim feels fortunate to be alive (AP) — A lawyer who survived a gunman’s attack that was cap tured on videotape said he hadn’t met the suspect before the assault and feels fortunate to be alive. Gerry Curry, 53, was released Sunday from a hospital after being shot at close range by a man iden tified by police as William Strier, 64. Curry was shot in his arm and neck. Dramatic television hxitage from crews covering Robert B lake’s murder case Friday showed Curry, o f Sinii Valley, trying to hide behind a tree as Strier fired a revolver out side the Van Nuys courthouse. "It's weird. It’s the kind of thing that always happens to someone else,” Curry said. “This is the thing you see on TV, but this time it happened to me. But the main thing is that 1 survived, so I’m very grate ful.” After the attack, Curry staggered from behind the tree, blood on his face, and held up his hands before collapsing. An off-duty sheriff's reserve officer tackled Strier. Strier was arrested, btxiked for investigation of attempted murder and was being held on $1 million bail. He was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. With scars on his face and his arm in a sling, Curry told report ers that he had never met Strier before, but had heard about prior threats. JFK Conspiracy Theories Persist 40"' anniversary' o f assassination approaches Forty years after the event, John F. Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, remains the most popular subject for conspiracy theories in America, says a UC Davis scholar who is writing a book on such theories during the 20th century. In fact, only 10 percent of Americans believe Lee Harvey Oswald was acting alone when he shot the 35th president, says Kathryn Olmsted, author of "Challenging the Secret Government: The Post Watergate Investigations of the CIA and FBI.” “Throughout their history, Americans have been concerned about excessive government power, and you can see conspiracy theories dating back to the founding o f the nation,” Olmsted says. “But it isn’t until World War I, when you get a really powerful government, that conspiracy theories became more extreme and widespread.” Conspiracy theories about JFK 's murder didn’t really gain steam until the Church Committee in 1975 revealed government cover-ups in the original 1964 Warren Commission report on the Kennedy assassination. J Tracking JFK conspiracy theories is now a major hobby, with ¿Kindreds o f books offering various theories of who killed the presi- Black soldier’s disability much smaller than counterpart (A P)— The fatherof former pris oner of war Shoshana Johnson has accused the Army of shortchang ing his daughter of disability ben efits after she was offered a smaller paycheck than fellow POW Jessica Lynch. "She is not getting what she deserves,” Claude Johnson said. Family members confirmed that Lynch, a private first class who was snatched from her Iraqi captors on April I in a rescue by Special Forces, is receiving an 80 percent disabil ity. Johnson, a specialist who was released on April 13 with four other American POWs, has been offered 30 percent, Claude Johnson said. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who consulted the Johnson family, said race was playing a part in Arm y’s decision. Lynch is white; Johnson is black. "There’s a long history of blacks not receiving fair and adequate rec ognition in the military,” said Jack- son. "The first black female POW who survived is about to be dis charged and suffers the trauma, the A file photo shows Shoshna Johnson after being freed as a prisoner of war in Iraq. emotional injury and has a 3-year- old daughter to raise. She deserves more.” The NAACP has called for an explanation from the Army. “U nless there is an honest ra tionale, thediscrim inatory double standard the U nited States Army has applied to Iraqi war heroin Shoshana Johnson is disgrace ful," said Julian Bond, chairm an of the NAACP Board o f D irec tors. Army spokesman Maj. Steve Stover said Shoshana Johnson’s payment can lie appealed. Stover said the two cases are different and race is not an issue. Military officials said Lynch was hurt after her Humvee utility ve hicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed into another vehicle. She suffered multiple bro ken bones and other injuries and it was four months before she could walk again. Shoshana Johnson was shot in both ankles and was held by Iraqi captors for 22 days. She still peri odically uses a walking cast, has a Widow Testifies in DC Sniper Trial (AP) — The widow of a bus driver slain in last year’s sniper attacks testified Monday she saw his empty bus on television but couldn't get to the hospital fast enough to say goodbye. D enise Jo h n so n , w idow o f Conrad Johnson, said she didn't know right away that it was her husband's bus but immediately tried to reach him on his cell phone without success. “I thought maybe he had seen something," she said, testifying for the prosecution in the trial of John Allen Muhammad. She eventually received a call African American Alliance for Homeownership (AAAH) Presents 4th Annual African American Home Buying Fair from her mother-in-law saying that he had been shot and rushed to the hospital. Her husband was alive when she arrived but she didn't get to see him until after he died. Defense lawyers objected to her testimony, as they have to similar testimony, saying it is unfairly emo tional and irrelevant to the case. Circuit Judge LeRoy F. Millette Jr. instructed prosecutors to keep the testimony brief. Prosecutors are introducing evi dence in 16 shootings in Maryland. Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana and the District ofColumbia in an effort to show that Muhammad is respon- Ì H W ith in Y our R e * h Saturday, November 8th, 2003 11 am - 3pm Emanual Hospital Atrium 501 North Graham Portland L Denise Johnson, wife of sniper victim Conrad Johnson, pauses during her testimony in the trial o f sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad. (AP photo) sible for multiple deaths and en sniper shooting, were arrested Oct. gaged in a form o f terrorism - neces 24,2002, at a Mary land highway rest sary conditions for the two death stop. They had been sleeping in a penalty charges against him. 1990 blue Chevrolet Caprice that Muhammad, 42. and 18-year-old authorities say was adapted so some Lee Boyd Malvo, who goes on trial one concealed inside the car could Nov. 10 in connection with another fire a rifle through a hole in the trunk. Combs Supports Kids with Marathon Finish ..'X I ’X Sean P. Diddy' Combs crosses the finish line of the New York City Marathon, Sunday. He raised $2 million for children, double the amount he planned. (AP photo) (AP) — Running on a bum rig h t knee and after ju s t tw o m onths o f training, hip-hop en tr e p re n e u r S ean “ P. D id d y ” C om bs com pleted the grueling N ew York City Marathon Sun day, raising $2 million for chil dren - double what he had planned. “N ever in my life have I ever experienced anything as crazy as th is,” C om bs said. “ It w as a beautiful experience." C om bs’ official race time was 4:14:54. It was his first marathon. The producer-rapper said he had raised $2 million since an nouncing in Septem ber that he would run. The money will be ■ Credit and affordability ■ The role of a realtor, title company and lender ■ How to access down payment assistance programs ■ How to avoid predatory lending ■ Why learning the home buying process is important! NAACP opposes court nomination Federal appellate nominee Janice Rogers Brown is defending her work as a conservative jurist promising 15-1 Student-Teacher Ratio i r • t - .' State-Standard Curriculum Just Regular Kids Who Are I Willing to Learn Free Public School - No Tuition E nter to win great p r iz es... 2 R/T A irline tickets, C olor TV, Art, G ift C ertificates, and m ore... For more information call 503-285-5555x558 Or visit us on the web at www.aaah.org Sponsors include; Bureau of Housing & Community Development; Fannie Mae; Multnomah ( ounty; Oregon Housing & Community Services; Safeway Food & Drug; State Farm Insurance; Southwest Airlines; Wells Fargo Home Mortgage ( ommunity Partner; Housing & Urban development (H U D ); The Skanner News Group divided am ong tw o ch ild ren ’s charities and New York City pub lic schools. Com bs said he gained support from an N BC reporter covering the race w ho ran with him, as well as from children in Harlem who cheered him on. “ I definitely w anted to stop,” C om bs said. "This is definitely a life-changing experience for me because I did not stop.” C om bs shed about 15 pounds in training, and developed severe tendonitis in his right knee. “Tw enty-six m iles isn’t a pub licity stunt,” he said after the race. Judge Defends Conservative Record "Don’t get left behind" Attend one of our workshops to find out about: tauat aoviw « hard time staying on her feet for any period of time and is not sleep ing well, her father said. In a statement released by her attorney. Lynch said she was "dis appointed for Shoshana." “When she visited me in West Virginia last month, we discussed the extent of our injuries and the long road back to health, includ ing a lifetime commitment to physi cal therapy and rehabilitation,” Lynch said. "I support her efforts 100 percent and wish her a contin ued ... recovery.” Accepting 6th Grade Transfer Students Today! Taking Applications for Next Year 6,n & 7th Grade Students VICTORY MIDDLE SCHOOL at the Blazers Boys and Girls Club 5250 NE MLK 503-789-9099 that the opin ions she has ex pressed in some of her speeches I would stay sepa rate from herrole gft on the bench, i B row n, a California Su Janice Brown p rem e C o u rt justice, has been nominated for the U.S. Court o f Appeals for the Dis trict of Columbia, a court that is seen by many as a training ground for the U.S. Supreme Court. H er co n se rv a tiv e p o sitio n s worry the NAACP, othercivil rights groups and Democrats. But Brown said she would keep her personal opinions out of her future work. "I absolutely under stand the difference in roles in be ing a speaker and being a judge," she told the Senate Judiciary Com mittee during confirmation hear ings. A 54-year-old black woman from the South, Brown supports limits on abortion rights and corporate liability and opposes affirmative action.