monday, february 16, 2004
news
the university daily kansan 54
5A
Haitian protesters want to remove current president
The Associated Press
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Defying government loyalists, hundreds of activists demonstrated against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide yesterday as exiled paramilitary forces joined rebels in a bloody uprising that has killed some 50 people.
Shouting "Down with Aristide!" members of a broad opposition alliance known as the Democratic Platform massed for the demonstration in Port-au-Prince, saying they didn't support violence but shared the same goal as the rebels _ ousting the embattled president.
Militants loyal to Aristide crushed a similar anti-government demonstration on Thursday, stoning opponents and blocking the protest route. There has been a steady string of protests since mid-September.
"We're still dealing with pacific, nonviolent means, but let me tell you we have one goal," said Gilbert Leger, a lawyer and opposition member. "We do support (rebel) efforts."
The rebels launched a rebellion nine days ago from Gonaides, 70 miles northwest of Port-au-Prince and Haiti's fourth-largest city, seeking to oust Aristide. The rebels have fortified Gonaides with flaming barricades, rusted cars and discarded refrigerators.
Although the rebels are still thought to number less than Haiti's 5,000-member police force, paramilitary leaders and police living in exile in the Dominican Republic have reportedly joined them.
Two Dominican soldiers were killed on the Dominican border at Dajabon on Saturday and their weapons were taken from them. It was unclear who was responsible for the killings, but in recent days a force of 20 men led by exiled paramilitary leader Louis-Jodel Chamblain crossed the border.
Dominican President Hipolito
Mejaia said Sunday that authorities would arrest any Haitian suspected of taking part in the uprising who tries to enter the Dominican Republic.
Louis-Jodel Chamblain, a former Haitian soldier who headed army death squads in 1987 and a militia known as the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti, or FRAPH, which killed and maimed hundreds of people between 1991 and 1994, was seen in Gonaives by several witnesses.
Chamblain fled to the Dominican Republic after U.S. troops were sent to restore Aristide to power and end a bloody dictatorship in 1994.
Philippe, a former police chief who fled to the Dominican Republic after being accused by the Haitian government of trying to organize a coup in 2002.
Witnesses reached by telephone said the men were working with rebels in Gonaïves but were massing in Saint-Michel de l'Atalaye, about 28 miles to the east.
Dominican Gen. Fernando Cruz Mendez said Philippe would be arrested if he tried to reenter the Dominican Republic.
In May, Haiti's foreign minister visited the Dominican Republic requesting that authorities turn over Philippe. Dominican officials had detained him earlier that month but released him after
finding no evidence to support claims he was plotting against Haiti's government. No extradition treaty exists between the neighboring countries.
Meanwhile in Jamaica, police detained 10 Haitians, including eight police officers, who arrived Saturday by boat to Jamaica's eastern shore requesting political asylum. Police seized eight guns and some ammunition from the men. Immigration authorities were reviewing their asylum requests.
Discontent has grown in this Caribbean country of 8 million people since Aristide's party swept flawed legislative elections in 2000 and international donors froze millions of dollars.
Iraq, Bush on agenda for debate
The Associated Press
John Kerry accused President Bush of repeating Vietnam-era mistakes in Iraq and pledged on Sunday to combat Republican attacks while rivals Howard Dean and John Edwards faced pressure to cede the nomination to the Democratic front-runner.
Looking ahead to a matchup with President Bush, Kerry said during a Wisconsin debate. "I'm prepared to stand up to any attack they come at me with. I'm ready for what they throw at me."
Edwards replied, "No so fast,
John Kerr."
Resisting Kerry's suggestion that the nomination fight was ending, Edwards said, "We're going to have an election here in Wisconsin this Tuesday and we got a whole group of primaries coming up, and I, for one, intend to fight with everything I've got for every one of those votes."
Dean tried to sound just as confident, calling Kerry "a fine person. And if he wins the nomination, I'm going to support him. But I intend to win the nomination."
Kerry leads Dean, Edwards and two other Democrats in Wisconsin, where Democrats hold a critical primary Tuesday.
The Massachusetts senator, victor in 14 of 16 contests, hopes to force his major foes from the race with another overwhelming victory.
Dean's own advisers are urging him to abandon the fight if he loses Tuesday and predicted that he soon would.
"I would say that this president, regrettably has perhaps not learned some of the lessons of that period of time, when we had a very difficult war."
John Kerry Democratic candidate
"We are not bowing out," Dean told The Associated Press before the debate. But campaign chairman Steve Grossman said that with a loss Tuesday, Dean would marshal his political network on behalf of the party and Kerry.
"When Howard Dean says he's not going to quit, what he means is the battle to restore democracy and citizen participation is longterm and he's not going to quit on that battle," Grossman told the AP.
The 90-minute debate, perhaps the last of the primary season, ended without Kerry stumbling or taking heavy flak from Dean and Edwards.
They may not get another shot.
Uncharacteristically, Dean pulled his punches in the debate — passing up an opportunity to repeat his criticism of Kerry for accepting special interest money.
Instead, the fallen front-runner seemed to defend Kerry against criticism from the White House.
"I think George Bush has some nerve attacking anybody on special interests," Dean said, though
he added that both parties kow-tow to special interests.
Even on the war in Iraq, the issue that divides Dean most deeply from Kerry, the former Vermont governor was more polite than pugilistic. "Any of us who support sending troops, have a responsibility for what happens to those troops," he said, noting that Edwards and Kerry backed Bush's war resolution.
"My regret is not the vote," Kerry said. "My regret is this president choosing the wrong way, rushing to war."
A week after raising questions about Bush's Vietnam-era service in the National Guard, the fourterm senator and decorated Vietnam veteran refused to comment on the controversy.
But Kerry said, "I would say that this president, regrettably, has perhaps not learned some of the lessons of that period of time, when we had a very difficult war."
On Iraq, he repeated, "I think this president rushed to war."
Kerry avoided direct answers to questions about his shifting positions on trade, education and Bush's anti-terrorism legislation.
Edwards made light of the front-runner's long-winded style. "That's the longest answer I've ever heard to a yes-or-no question," he said after Kerry's remarks on Iraq.
Edwards landed glancing blows against Kerry on trade, health care and the budget, but focused his heaviest attack on Bush. "Certainly, the integrity and character of the president of the United States is at issue," he said.
Edwards, a freshman senator from North Carolina, is in a slightly better position than Dean to survive a defeat Tuesday.
While Dean is winless and running out of credibility, Edwards won his native South Carolina and has impressed Democrats with his polished, upbeat style.
After Wisconsin and its 72 delegates, the remaining candidates will focus on March 2 elections in California, New York, Ohio and seven other states. Edwards hopes Wisconsin voters will bounce Dean from the race, leaving him standing alone against Kerry.
The scenario presumes that Edwards would do well enough Tuesday to keep money flowing into his campaign, even as party donors and leaders rally behind Kerry.
The trial lawyer's backers say the odds are steep, and they won't rule out the possibility that Edwards will be forced from the race this week.
Republicans kept working on the assumption that Kerry would face Bush.
Before the debate, GOP chairman Ed Gillespie accused Kerry of hypocrisy for voting in favor of Bush's education and Iraq policies then railing against them as a candidate.
Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton, neither with a hope of winning the nomination, also participated in the debate.
The debate was held at Marquette University in Milwaukee. It was sponsored by Journal Communications, WTMJ-TV and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
MCKENZIE: Bill-writer's brother pushed for freshman elections
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Last year McKenzie wrote a bill that allowed freshmen to vote for senators in an online election in the fall. Senate failed the bill, a setback McKenzie said was mainly because of opposition from KUUnited coalition members.
McKenzie gathered enough signatures to put the bill on the spring ballot as a student referendum. The referendum passed 2,204 to 815, and this fall, freshmen elected senators for the first time.
"He worked really hard on that, and it's going to pay big dividends on campus in the end," Swenson said.
McKenzie called the project one of the Senate accomplishments he was most proud of. He said lately he'd been working more on rules and regulation changes.
"Just basically making sure we work more efficiently," McKenzie said.
Because the vice president is responsible for running Senate meetings, knowledge of rules and regulations is key to the position. Swenson said it was one of McKenzie's strengths.
"He knows Senate better than almost anyone in Delta Force," Swenson said. "I told the group this is one thing I see Kevin really being able to handle."
- Edited by Collin LaJoie
DUNLAP: Experience in Senate could play large role for candidate
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
"Everybody has ideas, but when it comes to the minutiae, the details of how we're going to get there, Jeff has an excellent grasp of the whole system," Munch said.
Dunlap said lately he had been working on projects like the new Multicultural Resource Center, online course evaluations and funding for clubs. He said he couldn't name a project he was most proud of.
"Every week I'm proud of the work we do, so it's hard to say just one is important." Dunlap said.
Dunlap said one of his goals, if
elected, would be to increase unity within Senate. He said the election process often left bad feelings among senators that lingered throughout the year and sometimes hurt productivity.
Current vice president Catherine Bell was elected with KUnited last year. Dunlap said she provided a good model for increasing unity within Senate.
"One thing I've noticed about Catherine is that she really is great at working with all kinds of people," Dunlap said. "She has such a great attitude and keeps everyone enthusiastic about Senate."
— Edited by Collin LaJoie
FOSSIL: University researcher, curator work with new insect species
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
When the bug bit was discovered in the early 19th century, limited technology made it impossible to determine what sort of arthropod the mandibles belonged to.
But with improved microscopes and optical technology, Engel and David Grimaldi, curator of the American Museum of Natural History and co-author of the paper, noticed right away
"I stuck it under a scope, kind of did a double take,and almost gasped."
Michael Engel Kansas researcher
"I stuck it under the scope, kind of did a double take, and
that the mandibles were unusual for an arthropod from the Rhynie chert.
almost gasped," he said.
The two quickly discerned that the mandibles belonged to a true insect.
Early precursors to insects only had one knob per mandible,
A true insect can be identified by several characteristics, but most important to Engel were some unique traits of the mandibles.
Mandibles attach to an insect's head with knob-like structures, like the ball of the arm in the shoulder socket.
but Rhyniognatha had two, like a true insect.
The mandibles were also attached to structures called apodemes. They are a sort of internal skeleton for the insect's head.
In addition, the knobs were attached in a way almost identical to those of a major line of winged insects called Metapterv-
The two pieces of information provided strong evidence that the fossil was indeed a true insect.
"Before I could make any judgment of the correctness of the interpretation of the fossil, I'd want to see it," Bvers said.
He added that if Engel and Grimaldi's theory stands the test of time, Rhyniiognatha would be a significant discovery for the field of paleoentomology.
George Byers, curator emeritus of the KU Natural History Museum, said that as with any discovery, he was approaching the matter with caution.
The discovery of Rhyniognatha is literally re-writing the history books — especially the one Engel is currently writing on the subject of insect evolution.
"I had just finished the sections on origins of flight and the origins of insects, and I had to throw out my chapters that I had just written, and re-write them," Engel said.
Edited by Nikki Nugent
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