by
      Andrew
      MacPherson
     
     
      BORIS’S
      EMBATTLEMENT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      News
      this
      week
      from
      Russia
      smacks
      of
      deja
      vu.
     
     
      The
      current
      leader
      of
      the
      world’s
      largest
      coun-
     
     
      try
      is
      facing
      problems
      from
      hardline
      commu-
     
     
      nists
      as
      he
      tries
      to
      implement
      economic
      reform
     
     
      in
      his
      country
      and
      faces
      the
      possiblity
      of
      losing
     
     
      his
      grip
      on
      power.
      It
      sounds
      very
      similar
      to
      the
     
     
      story
      which
      came
      from
      the
      Soviet
      Union
      in
      late
     
     
      summer
      of
      1991;
      however,
      the
      same
      story
      came
     
     
      from
      Moscow
      again
      last
      week.
      Russian
      Presi-
     
     
      dent
      Boris
      Yeltsin
      faced
      backlash
      from
      the
     
     
      Congress
      of
      People’s
      Deputies
      and
      has
      had
      the
     
     
      power
      of
      his
      position
      weakened
      considerably.
     
     
      The
      non-elected
      congress
      has
      taken
      away
     
     
      Yeltsin’s
      power
      to
      rule
      by
      decree
      and
      has
      can-
     
     
      celled
      the
      referendum
      on
      power
      sharing
      which
     
     
      was
      to
      be
      held
      in
      April.
      President
      Clinton
      and
     
     
      other
      world
      leaders,
      in
      an
      effort
      to
      prevent
     
     
      Yeltsin’s
      demise,
      are
      scrambling
      to
      come
      up
     
     
      with
      plans
      to
      aid
      the
      Russian
      economy.
      Perhaps
     
     
      the
      west
      can
      take
      more
      ofa
      leadership
      role
      than
     
     
      in
      the
      past
      and
      direct
      this
      former
      super
      power
     
     
      more
      firmly
      in
      the
      proper
      direction.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PREVENTING
      A
      CORONATION
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      would
      appear
      that
      the
      federal
      Progressive
     
     
      Conservative
      party
      is
      facing
      a
      problem
      similar
     
     
      to
      that
      faced
      by
      the
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
      Lib-
     
     
      eral
      party
      in
      its
      recent
      leadership
      campaign,
      a
     
     
      lack
      of
      strong
      candidates
      to
      oppose
      the
      front
     
     
      runner.
      It
      seems
      that
      many
      members
      of
      the
     
     
      government
      caucus
      have
      conceded
      the
      leader-
     
     
      ship
      to
      Kim
      Campbell.
      There
      are
      several
      forces
     
     
      which
      have
      caused
      this
      result,
      including
      the
     
     
      tendency
      of
      people
      to
      line
      up
      behind
      the
      prob-
     
     
      able
      winner
      and
      the
      glowing
      reports
      that
     
     
      Campbell
      has
      received
      from
      the
      media,
      espe-
     
     
      cially
      the
      CBC;
      however,
      Brian
      Mulroney
      has
     
     
      a
      little
      too
      much
      political
      savvy
      to
      allow
      this
      to
     
     
      happen.
      It
      would
      be
      a
      shame
      for
      the
      Tories
      if
     
     
      they
      chose
      to
      waste
      this
      great
      opportunity
      for
     
     
      media
      coverage
      without
      a
      climactical
      conven-
     
     
      tion.
      Mr,
      Mulroney
      has
      been
      making
      an
      effort
     
     
      to
      induce
      other
      familar
      faces
      in
      his
      cabinet
      to
     
     
      put
      a
      strong
      campaign
      together.
      Finance
      min-
     
     
      ister
      Don
      Mazankowski
      has
      said
      that
      he
      will
      re-
     
     
      examine
      his
      previous
      decsion
      not
      to
      run
      for
      the
     
     
      leadership.
      There
      is
      work
      underway
      to
      get
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AKS
      TH
     
    
   
   
    
     
      eport
      on
      off-campus
      news
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Bernard
      Valcourt’s
      campaign
      off
      to
      a
      strong
     
     
      start.
      Perrin
      Beatty
      and
      Barbara
      MacDougall
     
     
      are
      said
      to
      be
      on
      the
      verge
      of
      announcing
      their
     
     
      candidacy.
      This
      is
      not
      to
      say
      that
      Mulroney
     
     
      does
      not
      support
      Campbell;
      in
      fact,
      his
      reaction
     
     
      is
      more
      fatherly.
      He
      wants
      his
      successor
      to
      go
     
     
      through
      the
      joy
      of
      winning
      a
      hard
      fought
      cam-
     
     
      paign.
      Something
      that
      he
      may
      not
      be
      taking
      into
     
     
      account
      is
      that
      a
      difficult
      leadership
      campaign
     
     
      this
      close
      to
      a
      federal
      election
      may
      divide
      his
     
     
      party
      instead
      of
      binding
      it
      together.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      LEADERS
      GO
      PUBLIC
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Asthe
      provicial
      election
      approaches
      its
      midway
     
     
      point
      more
      and
      more
      public
      appearances
      are
     
     
      taking
      place.
      Finally,
      the
      first
      public
      forum
     
     
      with
      all
      three
      leaders
      present
      has
      been
      an-
     
     
      nounced.
      It
      will
      be
      held
      in
      the
      Prince
      Edward
     
     
      Hotel
      this
      coming
      Monday
      at
      7:00PM.
      The
     
     
      forum
      has
      been
      organized
      by
      the
      PEI
      Teacher’s
     
     
      Federation
      and
      will
      cenetered
      upon
      education.
     
     
      On
      Wednesday
      of
      the
      same
      week
      the
      three
     
     
      leaders
      will
      again
      be
      present
      at
      lunch
      time
      in
     
     
      “The
      Pit.’’
      Students
      are
      strongly
      encouraged
      to
     
     
      go
      to
      both
      of
      these
      events
      and
      be
      vocal.
      The
     
     
      plight
      of
      students
      must
      be
      raised
      in
      the
      con-
     
     
      sciousness
      of
      these
      leaders
      and
      they
      must
      be
     
     
      reminded
      that
      we
      have
      votes
      that
      are
      worth
      just
     
     
      as
      much
      as
      anyone
      else’s.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      KING
      BEATING
      TRIAL
      II
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      second
      trial
      for
      the
      police
      officers
      involved
     
     
      in
      the
      beating
      of
      Rodney
      King
      is
      underway
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      U.S.
      Federal
      court.
      Last
      week
      King
      himselfwas
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      on
      the
      witness
      stand.
      It
      was
      his
      first
      testimony
     
     
      since
      the
      incident
      which
      ocurred
      on
      March
      3,
     
     
      1991.
      The
      four
      defendants
      -Sgt.
      Stacey
      Koon,
     
     
      offecers
      Lawrence
      Powell
      and
      Theodore
      Briseno
     
     
      and
      former
      officer
      Timothy
      Wind
      -
      were
      acquit-
     
     
      ted
      in
      their
      first
      trial
      last
      spring.
      The
      jury’s
     
     
      decision
      was
      followed
      by
      an
      outbreak
      of
      vio-
     
     
      lence
      in
      Los
      Angeles.
      In
      this
      trial
      they
      are
     
     
      accused
      of
      willfully
      violating
      King’s
      civil
      rights.
     
     
      What
      this
      means
      is
      that
      the
      prosecutors
      must
     
     
      show
      that
      the
      officers
      not
      only
      used
      excessive
     
     
      force,
      but
      also
      did
      so
      intentionally.
      In
      the
     
     
      previous
      trial
      excessive
      force
      was
      the
      only
      issue
     
     
      in
      question.
      King’s
      testimony
      is
      positioned
     
     
      halfway
      through
      the
      prosecution’s
      case;
      hence,
     
     
      a
      verdict
      is
      not
      expected
      for
      about
      another
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      =
      SPOlr
     
    
   
   
    
     
      month.
      Legal
      experts
      believe
      that
      Mr.
      King’s
     
     
      testimony
      will
      be
      the
      deciding
      factor
      either
     
     
      way.
      The
      defence
      will
      be
      trying
      to
      establish
      that
     
     
      the
      victim
      is
      not
      a
      good
      person
      and
      deserved
     
     
      what
      happened
      to
      him.
      A
      decision
      is
      going
      to
      be
     
     
      infinitely
      harder
      for
      the
      jury
      to
      come
      to,
      espe-
     
     
      cially
      the
      three
      African-American
      members.
     
     
      There
      is
      a
      strong
      possibility
      of
      a
      hung
      jury
      and
     
     
      it
      is
      unclear
      what
      kind
      of
      public
      reaction
      that
     
     
      type
      of
      decision
      would
      provoke.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      GOLD
      ON
      ICE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      =
      To
      say
      it
      wasa
      very
     
     
      successful
      week
      for
     
     
      Canadiaiss
     
     
      participating
      in
      wiii-
     
     
      ter
      sports
      would
      be
     
     
      a
      great
      understate-
     
     
      ment.
      In
      figure
      skat-
     
     
      ing
      and
      downhill
     
     
      skiing,
      World
     
     
      Championships
     
     
      ee
      *
      went
      to
      Canadians
     
     
      in
      numerous
      categories.
      In
      men’s
      figure
      skat-
     
     
      ing
      Kurt
      Browning
      won
      his
      fourth
      gold
      medal
      in
     
     
      the
      past
      five
      years.
      The
      only
      real
      blemish
      on
      his
     
     
      record
      was
      his
      sixth
      place
      finish
      at
      last
      year’s
     
     
      Winter
      Olympics.
      Another
      Canadian,
      Elvis
     
     
      Stojko
      took
      home
      the
      silver
      in
      this
      same
      event.
     
     
      Stojko
      came
      from
      fifth
      place
      to
      win
      the
      silver
      on
     
     
      the
      final
      day
      of
      competition.
      Earlier
      in
      the
      week
     
     
      Lloyd
      Isler
      and
      Elizabeth
      Brasseur
      won
      the
      gold
     
     
      for
      the
      couples
      dance
      competion;
      it
      was
      only
      the
     
     
      fourth
      time
      in
      the
      past
      thirty-five
      years
      that
      a
     
     
      non-Russian
      couple
      has
      won
      this
      medal.
      This
     
     
      success
      helps
      to
      show
      the
      world
      that
      Canadians
     
     
      are
      more
      than
      a
      bunch
      of
      rough
      hoodlums
      who
     
     
      play
      hockey...some
      of
      us
      a
      graceful
      as
      well.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      PICTURE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Last
      week
      I
      wrote
      about
     
     
      the
      picture
      of
      Kim
     
     
      Campbell
      which
      ap-
     
     
      peared
      in
      British
      tab-
     
     
      loids
      several
      weeks
     
     
      back.
      Ihave
      obtaineda
     
     
      copy
      of
      the
      picture
      and
     
     
      have
      run
      it
      in
      this
     
     
      week’s
      edition.
      Pretty
     
     
      scandalous,
      eh!
      @