Author:

As the nation's armed forces prepare for war in Iraq, an internal battle rages at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Westword staff writer Julie Jargon reveals in a series of articles that a growing number of female cadets say they have been sexually assaulted by their male counterparts at the Academy. Air Force cadets theoretically are subject to the strictest discipline and the highest moral standards. But as Jargon reveals, the Air Force's response typically has been to pay more attention to its own interests than to the rights of the victims. As more and more women come forward -- with the support of at least two Colorado Congressmen -- it's becoming evident that, whatever messy jobs it may be asked to do in the Middle East, the Air Force already has plenty of work to do at home.

Reports now suggest that the kidnapping of Utah's Elizabeth Smart was prompted in part by the polygamist views of her captors. And as Phoenix New Times staff writer John Dougherty reports in the first installment of a special investigative series, polygamy is alive and well along the Arizona-Utah border. In fact, a five-month investigation by Dougherty reveals that the state of Arizona has sat idly by for decades as young girls--some even younger than the 14-year-old Smart--have been forced into illegal polygamous marriages.

In 1988, the No. 3 law enforcement officer in Thurston County, Wash., was accused by his own children of sexual assault and Satanic ritual abuse. Paul Ingram, "hypnotized and brainwashed," began to confess to the crimes in the following months. He "remembered" belonging to a cult of judges, doctors and lawyers who sexually abused children and sacrificed more than 25 babies. Ingram eventually pleaded guilty to six counts of third-degree rape and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. There was never any physical evidence of such crimes, and the case was debunked by psychologists, forensic anthropologists and investigative reporters. Tom Grant looks into the twisted tale and concludes the case was a witch hunt from the beginning. Ingram, who will soon be released from prison after serving his sentence, is even now labeled a sex offender -- highly likely to re-offend.

He won the Congressional Medal of Honor for saving the lives of 23 American soldiers in Vietnam. Now, Northern California peace activist Charlie Liteky thinks it's likely that U.S. bombs will fall on Iraq, and when they do, he'll be there to help the Iraqi people. Sacramento News & Review's Melinda Welsh talks to Liteky, who has journeyed from priest to war hero to human rights activist, and his companions from Voices in the Wilderness.