Will Morrison Charge Tiller? Tim Golba gives objective analysis/assessment of the situation

Dear Friends of Life,

 

This week’s edition of the Johnson County Sun’s front page memo by Steve Rose,  “Will Morrison Charge Tiller?” makes it clear Paul Morrison has spoken directly to Rose and has laid out his plan to deal with “the Tiller problem”. 

 

This is what might have occurred during the meeting: 

 

1)  Morrison told Rose in a self-righteous tone that after an exhausting six month investigation (not) and thousands of hours spent by his office scrutinizing the “scattered” materials in this case (not), that the only charge Tiller should face is a technical violation of Kansas medical abortion reporting law (oh yeah - right!).  This was portrayed to Rose as a minor medical records paperwork error.  Morrison revealed that Tiller, will either immediately or shortly thereafter, enter into a plea agreement that was worked out with Tiller’s attorneys over a week ago.  (I wonder if Morrison used the now infamous subpoenaed medical records of the Alpha/Beta case that are now in his possession to prove this medical records crime against Tiller?  Heaven forbid the thought.  Morrison -   what a hypocrite!) 

 

2)  Morrison told Rose that at a formal press conference to be held next week he plans to announce his decision to begin working with the legislature to clarify these same reporting laws because they are not clear.  He is certain that the legislature will cooperate.  Why, many members of the state legislature agree with his assessment - - as they attempted to clean up these reporting laws during last legislative session.  (The laws are clear as currently written.  They have no need to be clarified.)     

 

3)  Morrison informed Rose that as part of the plea agreement he will also announce that no additional investigation regarding any possible medical record reporting violations in the years 04, 05, 06 and 07 to date will be conducted against Tiller.   Morrison explains that this will prevent any other prosecutor in Kansas from ever prosecuting Tiller for a felony reporting violation that might result if a second conviction for this same reporting crime were ever revealed.  This is the most important part of the plea agreement and it is the only reason Tiller agreed to plea to anything.  Morrison tells Rose that since the Kansas media is strongly pro-choice it’s not likely this part of the plea will receive a lot of play.  But even if he is criticized for his decision, it’s a risk he’s willing to take given the great political friendship that now exists between he and his buddy George.

 

4)  Morrison proceeds to tell Rose that another great thing this plea agreement is that it allows Tiller to maintain that he is innocent of the charges.  Tiller doesn’t have to plead guilty.  Morrison explains that he has agreed to accept “no contest” plea from Tiller.  That means that Tiller will still be able to maintain his innocence in the future.

 

5)  Morrison tells Rose that the absolute best thing about his upcoming press conference is that he gets the opportunity to blast Phill Kline. Morrison plans to state that Kline’s charges weren’t grounded in law so much as Kline’s over zealous and blind desire to prosecute Tiller for performing late-term abortions.  (The truth is that Morrison has never investigated whether Tiller violated the illegal late term abortion laws of Kansas during the past six months.  If Morrison actually states he has conducted an investigation he should be asked by the press and the legislature to prove who he spoke to during the investigation and what facts were gathered that vindicated Tiller of Kline’s charges.)   

 

6)  Morrison further informs Rose that he plans to also say that some of the original charges Kline leveled against Teller in the original complaint filed in Sedgwick County were “ridiculous” and untrue. (If Morrison actually says this – he should be asked to prove this contention! - - Two independent district court judges looked at these same allegations and found probable cause to believe that evidence of 30 criminal acts had occurred.  And, that one of the district judges even demanded that Tiller be forced to answer the 30 criminal allegations in court.) 

 

7)  Finally, Morrison tells Rose that as a last grasp measure he will throw in the fact that  a conviction requires the higher standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt” to secure a conviction at trial.  Probable cause just isn’t enough.  Morrison provides no specifics to Rose to back up this statement and it’s simply accepted as truth.

 

Well - hypothetically that’s what may have happened during the recent communication between Morrison and Rose. 

 

Morrison was allowed to proceed with this prosecutorial sham because - despite being warned by many pro-life advocates - the speaker of the house and house leadership sat back and refused to turn up the heat on Morrison.  They had every chance to do so.  Since no pressure was placed on Morrison to pursue the original criminal complaint brought against Tiller by Kline, Morrison was free to pursue his political proclivities.  Meanwhile the legislature was busy – hiding – as the speaker of the house made his side deal with Morrison to let the charges die.     

 

If in the remaining days before Morrison actually makes his formal announcement of this legal tragedy – the speaker of the house and house leadership do not change their failed course of inaction  - and begin to bring pressure upon Morrison to rethink his “pardon” of Tiller -  they will be as complicit as Morrison in ignoring the laws of our state that are intended to prevent viable babies from dying at Tiller’s hands.  

 

The thought of the legislature attempting to make amends with the pro-life community next year by enacting some unnamed “new” abortion legislation – and stating to pro-lifers that this new law would be enforced – would be an insult to the pro-life community.

 

From someone who knows how the games are played.

 

Sincerely for Life,

Tim Golba

  Tim Golba is the former President of Kansans for Life and has been shaping politics in Kansas for over 20 years.  He is credited with recruiting candidates who are now in elected positions that are dedicated to defending the rights of the unborn.