THE UNIVERSITY OF DARY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2006
NEWS
3A
》 SPEAKER
Morrison discusses platform
BY ERIN CASTANEDA
Paul Morrison, Johnson County district attorney and recently converted democrat, said switching from the Republican Party won't affect his campaign for attorney general this fall because it didn't change any of his beliefs.
If people respect you as a person, people don't care about partisan politics" he said Tuesday night to about 25 students at the Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union. "They care if you do a good job."
In an event sponsored by the KU Young Democrats, Morrison explained how he would do a better job than Republican incumbent Attorney General Phill Kline. He said he was never interested in running for office until Kline was voted in.
Morrison, who has tried several high-profile cases, said he was
stunned that Kline, who has never tried a case, could get the job.
The race between the two is drawing attention statewide in preparation of the Nov. 7 election. Morrison said there was an incredible contrast between the two.
"I will give the incumbent one hell of a run for the money and I think we will win," he said.
Morrison's philosophy during his 26 years in law enforcement has been punish the guilty and the right will win.
His philosophy has carried over to his campaign.
Morrison said his three-pronged mission was about safety, priorities and judgment.
He said he was in the best position to keep Kansans safe because he has put hundreds of criminals in prison.
As for priorities, he thinks Kline has them all wrong. Kline subpoenaed the medical records of patients who had abortions and Morrison said it was an invasion of privacy that he would make a number one priority.
"Kansas has become the butt of jokes nationally," he said. "People like Phill Kline have contributed to that. I say this election, lets get the last laugh."
Alex Treaster, Shawnee junior, said he liked Morrison because he was down to earth and came across as a straight lawman. Kline doesn't, he said.
"I have a lot more respect for someone who can enforce the law," Treaster said.
Kansan staff writer Erin Castaneda can be contacted at ecastaneda@ kansan.com.
Edited by Jacky Carter
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
Johnson County District Attorney Paul Morrison speaks at the first Young Democrats meeting of the year Tuesday evening in Alderson Auditorium at the Kansas Union.
CULTURES
Professor to save Mayan languages A KU linguistics professor has begun a study of three dying Mayan languages in order to preserve them before they are lost forever
BY KIM LYNCH
There are about 30 different Mayan languages, but some are beginning to die out as Spanish becomes the dominant language. One University of Kansas associate professor, however, now has the chance to help change this trend.
Clifton Pye, an associate professor of linguistic, received a $315,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to document three dying Mayan languages. Pye traveled to Guatemala and Mexico this summer to begin his study.
The three languages Pye is documenting are Chol, Q'anjob'al and Mam.
Sara Rosen, linguistics chairwoman, said the department was excited about the grant.
Rosen said the documentation process included collecting data, getting video tapes of the language being spoken and then transcribing those tapes to be studied.
Pye said the purpose of the grant was to document the language as it exists now for later use in the future. He said his interest in the Mayan language grew out of his dissertation about how children acquired the language.
Pye said he planned to return to Guatemala again over fall break.
Brent Metz, assistant professor of anthropology, who is currently studying indigenous movements
in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, said that the reason Mayan languages are dying out in Guatemala is because the new media, government and courts are all in Spanish.
As Mayans have become more integrated into the Guatemalan community they have found out that Spanish is more valuable to them than their native language, Metz said. However, a counter movement has begun in Guatemala to re-teach Mayan languages.
Edited by Brett Bolton
Kansan staff writer Kim Lynch can be contacted at klynch@kansan. com.
>> UPDATE
Ramsey defendant to go to trial
BY LINDA DEUTSCH
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — John Mark Karr, wearing an orange jail jump-suit and handcuffs chained around his waist, waived extradition to Colorado on Tuesday to face murder charges in the slaying of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey.
Karr spoke only briefly during a two-minute court hearing to confirm his decision. His blank expression changed only once when he slowly closed his eyes as the judge recited the charge of first-degree murder.
Although his public defender and a former defense attorney described Karr as eager to go, it was unclear when the 41-year-old teacher would be transferred. The
Boulder County sheriff's deputies would not discuss travel plans and Los Angeles jail officials said they had not yet been contacted about a transfer.
Deputy Public Defender Haydeh Takasugi, who represented Karr in the hearing, said he was concerned about having to appear in court wearing jail attire rather than civilian clothes.
"It's going to taint any potential jury pool out there," Takasugi said. "He was upset at that."
Karr's face has flooded newscasts since he was named a suspect in Bangkok last week in the longunsolved slaying of the 6-year-old beauty pageant queen, who was found strangled in the basement of her Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996.
Prosecutors have not disclosed
their evidence against Karr, and his family has said he was at home in Georgia at the time of the slaying.
Karr told reporters in Thailand before he voluntarily flew to Los Angeles on Sunday that he was not innocent in JonBenet's slaying, explaining only that he was present when she died and that her death was an accident.
In addition to first-degree murder, the charges against Karr in a sealed probable-cause arrest warrant include felony murder, first-degree kidnapping, second-degree kidnapping and sexual assault on a child.
The felony murder charge means prosecutors are either accusing Karr of killing JonBenet during the course of a sexual assault or kidnapping, or that he was present while someone else killed the girl.