Friday, September 1, 2006
Colorado Gov. Bill Owens (R) angrily called the extradition of wannabe killer John Mark Karr “the most extravagant and expensive DNA test in Colorado history.” But the governor does not go far enough in his criticism. The entire situation involving Karr’s now-disproved confession in the 1996 killing of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was ridiculous and despicable, and all parties involved are guilty of significant misconduct. Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy’s motion to quash the arrest warrant which quickly followed Karr’s confession revealed that there was basically no evidence besides his creepy e-mails and phone calls to a journalism professor at the University of Colorado. Police found no evidence that Karr was anywhere near Boulder when JonBenet was killed, and his family asserted that he was in Georgia celebrating Christmas with them. The wheels were put into motion for Karr’s arrest when investigators discovered that he had been hired to teach at a school in Thailand where he had become sexually attracted to some little girls he met there according to statements he made in his e-mails. Soon after Karr was under put under surveillance in mid-August, his Thai visa was revoked. Karr also faces five counts of possessing child pornography in California, so he certainly should have been brought back to the United States to stand trial; it’s hard to fault Boulder law enforcement for doing so. But the authorities who arranged Karr’s transpacific flight in business class completely botched the extradition. Karr should have been put in handcuffs and treated like any other suspected criminal – and his journey certainly should not have been allowed to turn into a media circus that would make the Ringling Brothers jealous. Crazy perverts shouldn’t be allowed to get 15 minutes of fame, and the nation’s news media should be ashamed of themselves for making it possible for Karr to do so. A 2002 report by the National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Thrownaway Children estimates that 33,000 children are abducted by strangers each year in America. Considering this large number, why have Elizabeth Smart, Natalie Holloway and JonBenet Ramsey been so deserving of lavish media attention? Is there a reason FOX News and CNN insist on bombarding the airwaves with these stories? “Entertainment” magazines like People apparently can’t get enough of kidnapping and murder, either. Not only is the media attention grotesque, but the only victims producers deem worthy to beam into our homes are rich white girls. Haven’t any boys been murdered in the last decade? What about children of minorities? Perhaps the saddest part of this equation is that media outlets seem to attract millions of viewers and readers with this sort of coverage. Each of these crimes is a tragedy, but they don’t affect more than the several hundred who knew or knew of these girls, and they should not be blown up into national stories. It’s fine to be interested in Ashlee Simpson’s nose job or Lindsay Lohan’s ever-changing cup size if you like gossipy news, but why do people find these girls so fascinating? What is the attraction here? Does anyone care about all of the other victimized children? We probably will never know whether or not Karr intentionally manipulated the American news media with his false confession. But an environment where it’s possible for anyone to make ridiculous claims and earn immediate national fame is unacceptable. Viewers need to come to their senses and use their remotes to let networks know that this behavior is no longer tolerated. And shoppers should leave those magazines at the grocery store checkout lines unless someone over the age of 18 is on the cover. Eric Rodawig is a senior in the College and can be reached at rodawigthehoya.com. THOUGHTCRIME appears every Friday.