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ByJillLawless TheAssociatedPress EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND ForScots,Wednesdaywas a day of excitement, appre- hension, and a flood of fi- nal appeals before a big decision. In a matter of hours, they will determine whether Scotland leaves the United Kingdom and becomes an independent state. A full 97 percent of those eligible have registered to vote — including, for the first time, 16- and 17-year- olds — in a referendum that polls suggest is too close to call. A phone poll of 1,373 people by Ipsos MORI, re- leased Wednesday, put op- position to independence at 51 percent and support at 49 percent, with 5 per- cent of voters undecided. That means neither side can feel confident, given the margin of error of about plus or minus three percentage points. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, himself a Scot, told a No campaign rally that the quiet majority of pro-Union Scots "will be silent no more," while pro- independence leader Alex Salmond urged voters to seize a democratic opportu- nity 307 years in the mak- ing. In its final hours, the bat- tle for Scotland had all the trappings of a normal elec- tion campaign: "Yes Scot- land" and "No, Thanks" posters in windows, but- tons on jackets, leaflets on street corners and mega- phone-topped campaign cars cruising the streets blasting out Scottish songs and "Children of the Revo- lution." But it is, both sides ac- knowledge, a once-in-a- generation — maybe once- in-a-lifetime — choice that could redraw the map of the United Kingdom. The gravity of the immi- nent decision was hitting home for many voters as political leaders made pas- sionate, final pleas for their sides. More than 4.2 mil- lion people are registered to vote in the country of 5.3 million people. Cathy Chance, who works for Britain's National Health Service in the Scot- tish capital, Edinburgh, said she would leave Scot- land if it became indepen- dent. "I don't want to live un- der a nation that's nation- alistic," she said. "I don't think the world needs an- other political barrier." On the other side, Yes campaigner Roisin McLaren said she was fi- nally letting herself be- lieve independence might be possible. "My family has cam- paigned for independence for a long, long time, and it's always been a pipe dream," the Edinburgh University student said as she knocked on doors in a last-minute effort to con- vert wavering electors. "Just in the last few days it's seemed possible, within reach. I can almost taste it." Politicians on both sides expressed confidence in the Scottish public, but uncer- tainty rippled below the surface. Opinion polls have failed to put either side decisively ahead. Bookmakers, how- ever, told a different story. A winning 1 pound bet on Yes would pay out 5 pounds from many bookies, while the same pound would re- turn just 1.20 pounds from a winning wager on No. One firm, Betfair, has al- ready paid out on a No win. Brown, Britain's former leader, told supporters that the patriotic choice was to remain within the U.K. "The vote tomorrow is not about whether Scot- land is a nation — we are, yesterday, today and to- morrow," he said. "The vote tomorrow is whether you want to break and sever every link," with the rest of the country. Salmond, energetic leader of the Yes campaign, said Scots would seize "a once-in-a-lifetime oppor- tunity to take the future of this country into our hands." Despite gains in support for independence in recent weeks, Salmond said his side remained the under- dog. "However, as we know in life, in politics and cer- tainly in this festival of de- mocracy, underdogs have a habit of winning some- times," he said. Amid the uncertainty, even the opinionated Ru- pert Murdoch hedged his bets. The media mogul, whose newspapers were long considered a power- ful force in British elec- tions, traveled to Scotland last week and wrote a se- ries of tweets that seemed supportive of indepen- dence. But on Wednesday his Scottish tabloid newspa- per said it would not en- dorse either side. It ran opinion columns by Yes and No leaders and told Scots: "The Scottish Sun has faith in you to make the right choice." INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM Emotionsmountonfinalday of Scottish vote campaign MATTDUNHAM—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Former British prime minister Gordon Brown gestures Wednesday during his speech in at a No campaign event in Glasgow, Scotland. The Associated Press SYDNEY Australian police detained 15 people Thurs- day in a major counterter- rorism operation, saying in- telligence indicated a ran- dom, violent attack was being planned on Austra- lian soil. About 800 federal and state police officers raided more than a dozen proper- ties across Sydney as part of the operation — the larg- est in Australian history, Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner An- drew Colvin said. Separate raids in the eastern cit- ies of Brisbane and Logan were also conducted. One person was charged with serious terrorism- related offenses and was scheduled to appear in court later Thursday. Col- vin declined to detail the nature of the charges. ATTACK INDICATED Australia detains 15 in counterterrorism raids By Bradley Klapper The Associated Press WASHINGTON The Repub- lican chairman of a special House panel on Benghazi charted a course Wednes- day for his investigation to stretch deep into a 2016 presidential election that former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton seems likely to enter. Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina vowed to pursue the facts wherever the lead him. Opening his committee's first public hearing since its establish- ment four months ago, he stressed the thoroughness of the task ahead, not the need to reach immediate conclusions. "Given the gravity of the issues at hand, I am willing to risk answering the same question twice rather than risk not answering it once," said Gowdy, a former fed- eral prosecutor leading Con- gress' eighth investigation of the deadly Sept. 11, 2012, attack in eastern Libya. Congress is still seek- ing documents from the Obama administration re- lated to the attack, he said. More witnesses are being interviewed and individ- uals who've participated in congressional investi- gations will be questioned again. The special investi- gation was created to "find all of the facts, and I intend to do so fully," Gowdy said. The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed in Benghazi when militants stormed a U.S. diplomatic post and, hours later, fired on a CIA compound nearby. The incident became imme- diate political fodder given its timing in the weeks before President Barack Obama's re-election. Some Republicans argue the military held back assets that could have saved lives and that Obama and Clinton lied to the public about the nature of the attack. Democrats deride the in- terest in Benghazi as a right- wing effort to keep talk of scandal fresh and harm a potential Clinton bid for the presidency. They say notions that U.S. forces were ordered to "stand down" during the attack or that Clinton played a direct role in security deci- sions are fantasy. Seven previous congres- sional investigations failed to settle the matter. Despite pitched politi- cal battles between Repub- licans and Democrats over the last two years, Wednes- day's public debut for the Select Committee on Beng- hazi took place in a more subdued and bipartisan at- mosphere. The approach appeared intentional, de- signed to give the panel greater credibility than past GOP-led probes and set the stage for more contentious hearings next year. Still, there was tension as Republicans took turns challenging the State De- partment's diplomatic secu- rity chief, Gregory Starr, on the security failings that led to the attack and his agen- cy's efforts since to bolster protection for U.S. embas- sies and consulates overseas. Gowdy credited a Demo- crat on the 12-member panel, Rep. Adam Schiff of Califor- nia, with recommending the subject of the hearing. And the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cum- mings of Maryland, echoed the need for sustained fo- cus on embassy protection. "When all the dust settles, the question is what we ac- complish," Cummings said, calling for the State Depart- ment's Starr to testify again in December. HOUSE PANEL Benghazi probe looks to go deep in 2016 race CZAREK SOKOLOWSKI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A monument to Polish victims of Stalin stands as a reminder of one of the worst Polish tragedies at Moscowís hands in Warsaw, Poland, on Monday. By Vanessa Gera The Associated Press WARSAW, POLAND It was an unexpected question from a woman hoping to sell me her Warsaw apart- ment: "Are you sure you want to buy now, when war could be coming?" Though she was half jok- ing, her comment revealed an anxiety Poles express frequently these days — that Russian aggression in Ukraine could spread, up- ending this NATO and Eu- ropean Union member's most peaceful and prosper- ous era in centuries. The woman was the third Pole in the past cou- ple weeks to advise me to think twice about investing in Polish real estate, forc- ing me to start wondering if it really is wise for me, an American, to risk my sav- ings here. Anxieties hang in the air as Poland marks the 75th anniversary Wednes- day of the Soviet invasion of Poland at the start of World War II, one of sev- eral Russian attacks on its neighbor over the past centuries. With President Vladimir Putin showing renewed imperial inclina- tions, some Poles can't help but wonder if the 1939 in- vasion by the Red Army re- ally was the last time Rus- sia will make an unwanted foray here. It's not that most Poles believe Russian troops will cross the border again; in fact, many believe Putin will probably limit his ag- gression to Ukraine. And there is a sense that NATO does enhance Poland's se- curity. But now, suddenly, the long theoretical notion of war has entered people's minds as a concrete possi- bility. For older Poles war isn't even a theoretical notion. They remember well atroc- ities inflicted by Germans and the Soviets during World War II. One of the most painful episodes of all was the Soviet killing of 22,000 Polish officers in the Katyn forest, an attempt to eliminate a swath of the country's elite. While Polish leaders have been asking NATO to do more to protect them, regular Poles pon- der how far Putin will go in Ukraine. They ask: If the West doesn't put up a more forceful front, will Putin feel empowered to meddle in the Baltic states, which have sizeable ethnic Rus- sian minorities? If so will Poland be next? And if things get really bad, will NATO be there for us? Polish fear of Russia high on anniversary 1939 INVASION The Associated Press BEIRUT Syrian govern- ment airstrikes killed some 50 people in an op- position-held city this week in bombing that ap- parently sought to target a rebel commander, activ- ists said Wednesday. Those killed included a mother and her five chil- dren, , a rebel commander and several fighters in the central city of Talbiseh, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. CIVIL WAR Airstrikes kill 50 in Syria In addition to 10,000 copies in print: Digital, interactive online edition, resident on www.redbluffdailynews.com. 80,000 visits per month. Visitors click through from ads, directly to advertisers' websites. 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