Edward Cuka WAGNER — Funeral mass for

Edward M. Cuka, 87, of Wagnerwill be 10:30 a.m. Saturday,October 23, 2010 at St. John theBaptist CatholicChurch inWagner, with bur-ial in the parishcemetery withmilitary honors.

Visitation willbe at the Crosby-Jaeger FuneralHome in WagnerFriday from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m., followedby a 7 p.m. Rosary/Wake Serviceat the church.

Edward M. Cuka, son of Johnand Mary (Kostal) Cuka, wasborn July 21, 1923 on a farmnear Wagner. He diedWednesday, October 20, 2010 atthe Good Samaritan Society inWagner. Ed attained the age of87 years, two months and 29days.

Ed attended country schooland graduated from WagnerHigh School in 1941. He servedin the United States Army dur-ing World War II in Germany asa clerk in the CounterIntelligence Agency.

Ed married Dorothy M.Stastny on June 16, 1953 inWagner. Five children were

blessed to their union.Ed farmed northwest of

Wagner until his health forcedhim to retire in 1966. He thenworked for Kocer Implementuntil he retired in 1987. Not beingone to “just sit”, he helped atFousek Grain until 1992, when hebecame a full time babysitter forhis youngest grandchild. Edcould tell you the words of sever-al children’s movies word forword! Ed became a resident ofthe Good Samaritan Society onApril 23, 2009.

Ed was a member of St. Johnthe Baptist Catholic Church,Knights of Columbus, AmericanLegion Greer Post #11 andVeterans of Foreign War. Heserved a a lector at church formany years.

Ed loved to talk farming andmachinery. He also loved to trav-el, square dance, polka, listen tomusic, hunt pheasants and playcards. Ed could fix almost any-thing. He was a very good cookand loved to barbecue. Ed willlovingly be remembered by hisgrandchildren for taking the fishoff their hooks during Huck FinnDays.

Thankful for having sharedhis life are his wife; two sons:Bob and friend Deb and Jim andDenise (Efta); daughter, AngieFousek and husband Sam, all ofWagner; four grandchildren:

Steven Fousek and wife Kasi(Brown), Tracy Fousek, NickFousek, all of Wagner, andBridget Fousek of Bloomington,MN; two brothers: Harry andLeonard and wife, Helen, all ofWagner.

Ed was preceded in death byhis parents; two sons: Tom andDonald; and four brothers:Laddie, Carl, Albin and John.

Yankton Press & DakotanOctober 22, 2010

Earl GeringFREEMAN — Earl J. Gering of

Freeman died of congestiveheart failure on Tuesday, Oct.19, 2010 at the FreemanRegional Hospital.

Earl was born Dec. 31, 1920to Joe D. and Caroline(Preheim) Gering. He was eitheran employee or manager ofFreeman Implement from 1948until 1994.

Survivors include his wife of58 years, Marian of Freeman,their daughter Garnet (Lyle)Perman of Lowry, SD, sonBradley (Marian) Gering ofFreeman; five grandchildren,Luke (Naomi) Perman of Lowry,Kajsa (Chris) White ofNashville, TN, Daniel Gering ofBrookings, September andGrace Gering, both of Freeman;a sister, Linda Pankratz of

Freeman and a brother William(Lucille) Gering of Mishawaka,IN.

Funeral services will beSunday at 2:00 at Salem ZionMennonite Church of ruralFreeman with burial in thechurch cemetery.

Visitation will begin at 3:00Saturday at the Walter FuneralHome with the family presentfrom 6:00 to 7:00.

Yankton Press & DakotanOctober 22, 2010

Christine JennessSIOUX CITY, Iowa —

Christine Ann Jenness, 47, ofSioux City, Iowa, died Thursday(Oct. 21, 2010) at her homeafter a courageous battleagainst cancer.

Funeral service are at 2 p.m.Saturday at First BaptistChurch, 101 East Main Street,Vermillion.

Donald PechousTYNDALL — Donald Pechous,

86, of Tyndall died Thursday(Oct. 21, 2010) at the TyndallGood Samaritan Center.

Arrangements are pendingunder the care of Opsahl-KostelMemorial Chapel, Tyndall.

NATION/WORLD DIGESTCalif. Officials Plead Not Guilty

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Eight current and former officials havepleaded not guilty to looting millions of dollars from California’s mod-est blue-collar city of Bell.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Hilleri G. Merritt ordered themto return to court Dec. 8 for a preliminary hearing. None of the eight,including Bell’s mayor, vice mayor and ousted city manager spoke incourt Thursday except to say “yes” when Merritt asked if they wereagreeable to the hearing date.

The not guilty pleas were entered by their attorneys.An additional hearing was scheduled for Friday for one of the

defendants, Councilman George Mirabal, so his lawyer could discusspretrial motions. A scheduling conflict kept Mirabal’s chief attorneyfrom appearing in court with him Thursday.

Only two of the defendants, Mirabal and former Councilman VictorBello, are still in custody.

Tensions Over Retirement Age In FrancePARIS (AP) — Police used tear gas and water cannon against ram-

paging youth in Lyon on Thursday while the French governmentshowed its muscle in parliament, short-circuiting tense Senate debateon a bill raising the retirement age to 62.

Despite growing pressure, President Nicolas Sarkozy held firmon a measure he says is crucial to the future of France, heighten-ing the standoff with labor unions that see retirement at 60 as ahard-earned right.

Defiant unions announced two more days of protest, one onNov. 6 — long after the bill is likely to become law. The bold actionsuggested that opponents believe they have the power to force thegovernment’s hand.

“The government bears full and complete responsibility for thecontinued mobilization, given its intransigent attitude, its failure tolisten and its repeated provocations,” said the statement signed bysix unions.

Weeks of protests have left at least a quarter of the nation’s gasstations on empty, blocked hundreds of ships at theMediterranean port of Marseille and even forced Lady Gaga to can-cel Paris concerts.

NPR Fires Williams Over Muslims CommentWASHINGTON (AP) — “I’m not a bigot,” longtime news analyst

Juan Williams said. Then he talked about getting nervous on aplane when he sees people in Muslim dress. Fair game for one ofhis employers, Fox News Channel, but a firable offense for theother, NPR.

Muslim groups were outraged, saying that Williams’ remarksMonday on Fox’s “The O’Reilly Factor” endorsed the idea that allMuslims should be viewed with suspicion. But conservatives andeven some liberals said NPR went too far in firing him for beinghonest about his feelings in an interview where he also said it isimportant to distinguish moderate Muslims from extremists.

The opinions Williams expressed on Fox News over the yearshad already strained his relationship with NPR to the point thatthe public radio network asked him to stop using the NPR namewhen he appeared on Bill O’Reilly’s show. NPR CEO Vivian Schillersaid Thursday that Williams had veered from journalistic ethicsseveral times before Monday’s comments.

Controversial opinions should not come from NPR reporters ornews analysts, Schiller said, adding that Williams was not a com-mentator or columnist for NPR. She said whatever feelingsWilliams has about Muslims should be between him and “his psy-chiatrist or his publicist — take your pick.”

In a memo to her staff and affiliate stations, Schiller said thecomments violated NPR’s code of ethics, which says journalistsshould not participate in media “that encourage punditry andspeculation rather than fact-based analysis.”■ Get Updates At Yankton Online (www.yankton.net)

www.yankton.net PAGE 3AYankton Daily Press & Dakotan ■ NATION/WORLD ■ Friday, October 22, 2010

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Irene PetrikIrene Petrik, 83, died in her

home on Tuesday, Oct 19, 2010. Her funeral will be held at

10:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 22, 2010 atSacred Heart Church in Yankton.

Visitation will be 6 to 7:30 p.m.Thursday, Oct. 21 at Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home in Yankton,with a prayer service at 7:30.

Irene Frances Marek Petrikwas born Feb. 20, 1927 in Yankton,the daughter of John Marek andFrances Cimpl Marek. Raised inYankton, she attended SacredHeart School, went one year toNotre Dame Academy in Omahato learn Bohemian, and graduatedfrom Mount Marty High School in1944. After a short stint workingat WNAX, she married AlbertPetrik at Sacred Heart Church inYankton on Jan. 20, 1947.

Irene and Albert started theirmarried life on a farm nearTyndall living with Albert’s par-ents. In 1948, they moved north-east of Gayville, where theyraised their family and lived andfarmed for the next 37 years.

Irene was a hard working andselfless mother and farm wife —cooking and baking, gardening andcanning, and raising 8 children withlove and humor. She was a longtime 4-H leader, earning her 50 yearpin and serving on various statecommittees. She was active innumerous other community activi-ties and always looked forward toher work as an election judge forMeckling Township.

Irene andAlbert moved toYankton in 1985,where Irene didvolunteer workat Sacred HeartHospital andMeals on Wheels.After Albert’sdeath in 2008,she moved toMajestic Bluffs

Living Center . Irene was preceded in death

by her husband Albert, her par-ents, her son-in law, ThomasMurphy and grandchildrenGretchen Gregg and John Gregg.She is survived by her 8 children,Ann Morgen (Bob) Tabernacle,NJ; Carol Gregg (Jim) Crookston,MN; Marjorie “Maggie” Murphy(Mike Hamilton) Kona, HI; JohnPetrik (Rebecca) Bismarck, ND;Nelda Werkmeister (Dennie)Paullina, IA; Mary Young,Wilmington, DE; Jim Petrik(Sharon) Gayville, SD; Jeff Petrik(Melissa) Knoxville, TN.

She is also survived by 18grandchildren and 6 great-grand-children.

Yankton Press & DakotanOctober 22, 2010

Online condolences at: www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com

Petrik

Cuka

O B I T U A R I E S

BY LARA JAKES ANDQASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRAAssociated Press Writers

BAGHDAD — American influencehas so dwindled in Iraq over the lastseveral months that Iraqi lawmakersand political leaders say they nolonger follow Washington’s advicefor forming a government.

Instead, Iraqis are turning toneighboring nations, and especiallyIran, for guidance — casting doubton the future of the American role inthis strategic country after a grind-ing war that killed more than 4,400U.S. soldiers.

“The Iraqi politicians are notresponding to the U.S. like before.We don’t pay great attention tothem,” Shiite lawmaker Sami al-Askari, a close ally of PrimeMinister Nouri al-Maliki, saidThursday. “The weak Americanrole has given the region’s coun-tries a greater sense of influenceon Iraqi affairs.”

Vice President Joe Biden, theadministration’s point man for Iraq,has doggedly lobbied Iraqi leaders,both on the phone and in six tripshere over the past two years.

Iraqis, however, measure U.S.influence largely by its militarypresence, which dipped by three-fold from the war’s peak to 50,000troops in late August. As a result,

Baghdad is now brushing off U.S.urgings to slow-walk a new govern-ment instead of rushing onethrough that might cater to Iran.

“The Iranian ambassador has abigger role in Iraq than Biden,”said a prominent Kurdish lawmak-er, Mahmoud Othman. He said theAmericans “will leave Iraq with itsproblems, thus their influence hasbecome weak.”

One problem which couldworsen as a result is the sectariandivide — particularly if the secularbut Sunni-backed Iraqiya politicalcoalition, which won the mostvotes in the March election, is leftout of a new Shiite-led governmentled by al-Maliki.

Many Iraqis, particularly minor-ity Sunnis, would view such a gov-ernment as “blessed by Iran andevidence of America’s relativeweakness,” analyst MichaelKnights wrote on the website ofThe Washington Institute for NearEast Policy. This perception couldlead to a surge in violence.

Washington, which has itshands full with the war inAfghanistan and the hunt inPakistan for Osama bin Laden,sees Iraq as “the bane of every-one’s existence lately,” said onesenior administration officialwho spoke on condition ofanonymity because of the sensi-

tivity of the diplomatic issues.But Iraq cannot afford to ignore

completely what Washington wants.For one, that could bring the end ofU.S. help and financial backing tobroker $13 billion worth of contractsfor military equipment.

It also would all but dash anyhopes by Baghdad to re-negotiatea security agreement that is set toexpire at the end of 2011 — aneeded step to keeping some U.S.forces in Iraq to continue trainingits fledgling air force and protectits borders. A senior Iraqi militaryofficial predicted the new govern-ment, once it is settled, ultimatelywill ask U.S. troops to remainbeyond next year.

U.S. alliances with Mideastnations to which Baghdad seeks tocozy up also cement Americaninfluence in Iraq, said SalmanShaikh, director of the BrookingsDoha Center think tank in Doha.

“In that, I think the U.S. is stillpretty well positioned in terms ofgetting its voice heard in Iraq,”Shaikh said. But he agreed that theU.S. carries less sway in Baghdadthan it used to: “If it was such aneasy thing to exert influence, thenwouldn’t Iraq have had a govern-ment by now?”

More than seven months havepassed since March 7 parliamen-tary elections failed to produce

clear winners, and Iraqi politicianssay they will pick new leaders ontheir own timetable.

Othman said the lengthyimpasse, despite heavy U.S. pres-sure to form a government thatincludes all of Iraq’s major politi-cal players, shows that Baghdaddoesn’t really care whatWashington wants.

“Yes, the Americans have theirview on how to form an Iraqi gov-ernment,” Askari agreed. “But itdoes not apply to the politicalpowers on the ground and it is noteffective.”

U.S. officials initially encouragedthe Iraqis to form a governmentquickly, but recently started pushingfor a slowdown after it becameapparent that a party led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadrwas poised to play a major role.

The U.S. clearly hopes to stallthe formation of a new govern-ment long enough for the deal tounravel between al-Maliki and al-Sadr, whose hardline Shiite follow-ers are close to Iran.

But the days of the U.S. callingthe shots in Iraq are long over —largely because of PresidentBarack Obama’s intent to scaleback America’s presence morethan seven years after the inva-sion which ousted SaddamHussein’s Sunni-led regime.

U.S. Influence Dwindling In Iraqi Gov’t

BY JULIE WATSON ANDLISA LEFF

Associated Press Writers

SAN DIEGO — When he left theBush administration in 2008,Clarke R. Cooper decided he hadto raise his voice.

The decorated Iraq war veteranhad been serving in the Army,with some in his unit aware thathe was gay. And yet, he said, noone had ever tried to get the offi-cer discharged under the mili-tary’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

“This is not an example of whythe policy works, it’s an exampleof why it is broken,” he said.

Two years later, Cooper findshimself leading a 19,000-membergroup that has managed to accom-plish what their fellow activists onthe left have not — bring the 1993Clinton-era law closer than it hasever been to being abolished.

A federal judge ruled lastmonth that the ban on openly gaytroops was unconstitutional, and

ordered the Pentagon to stop itsenforcement. An appeals court hastemporarily frozen that orderwhile it considers a governmentrequest to suspend it pending anappeal of the case.

Even getting this far hasn’tbeen easy for Cooper or the LogCabin Republicans.

They have never been entirelyembraced within the gay rightsmovement, which generally finds amore receptive audience inDemocrats. Many in the movementviewed the group’s six-year questto overturn the policy as quixotic.

“I heard that repeatedly. Iheard that as recently as sevenmonths ago, people saying thiscase didn’t have a prayer,” saidChristopher Barron, the Log CabinRepublican’s former politicaldirector and the founder of a rivalgroup for gay conservatives.

The liberal gay rights groups’approach to ending the ban in 2004involved suing on behalf of one sym-pathetic service member at a time,

while they also lobbied Congress tooverturn the law. Some advocatesalso cringed at the idea of joiningforces with Republicans.

They “saw the Log Cabins aspeople, frankly, who want theirtaxes cut and are willing to affiliatewith a party that is grossly anti-gay because of that,” said AaronBelkin, executive director of thePalm Center, a think tank on gaysand the military at the Universityof California Santa Barbara whowas an expert in their case.

The Justice Department triedto block the Log CabinRepublican’s lawsuit from going totrial, arguing that the organizationdid not have members who weredirectly affected by the policy.

The group initially filed its law-suit on behalf of John Does andsaid they were active militarymembers who could not be identi-fied for fear of being discharged.The group later named gay veter-an Alexander Nicholson as a plain-tiff to better its chances.

In its 2004 lawsuit, the groupended up arguing that the ban vio-lated the First Amendment, associ-ation and due process rights of itsmembers and sought its immedi-ate demise.

“To the extent there were peo-ple who were upset I think it wasbecause they didn’t know inadvance that Log Cabin was goingto sue,” said Jon Davidson, execu-tive director of Lambda Legal, agay rights legal affairs group.

Patrick Guerriero, who was LogCabin’s president from 2003 to2006 and is now registered as anindependent, recalled how it was-n’t just liberal gay activists whoobjected. Fellow Republicans alsowere angered by “a lawsuit againstthe U.S. military, against Bush’sDepartment of Defense.”

Guerriero said the group wascompelled to act after receiving let-ters, calls and e-mails from gay serv-ice members in Iraq discussing thedifficulty of having to be pretend tobe who they weren’t.

GOP Group Fights Against Gay Troop Ban