The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 5A Longo an NEWPORT, Ore. (AP) - Christian Longo, making his first appearance in an Oregon court on charges of killing his wife and three chil- dren, told a judge yesterday that he can't afford to hire an attorney. Judge Robert Huckleberry questioned the former Ypsilanti man via closed-circuit televi- sion. Longo is being held in the Lincoln Coun- ty Jail, which is next to the county court. "As you know, serious charges have been filed against you in Lincoln County," the judge told Longo, who was wearing a blue prison shirt and pants. aigned, says he cannot afford an Asked whether he was in a position to hire an attorney, Longo replied, "No, I am not." When Huckleberry asked Longo if he would like a court-appointed attorney, Longo said "yes." The 27-year-old Longo, called by police an expert con man with a history of petty crimes and debt, showed no emotion during the brief proceeding. By the time Longo reached the Oregon coast last fall with his wife and three children, he had left a trail of bad checks, fraud and theft charges stretching clear back to Michigan. But all those troubles never seemed to bother him. Though his job brewing lattes at the local Starbucks couldn't begin to pay the rent on his luxury waterfront condo or the big sport utility vehicles he liked to drive, he came off as a nice-looking guy who was charming, a good dresser, sweet with his wife and kids and pos- sessed of plenty of money. By the time Longo left town around Christmas, it was clear that things were not as they seemed: Longo was at best a con man with a taste for the good things in life, at worst a murderer. Over the weekend, Longo was captured in Mexico and brought back to the United States to face charges he murdered his wife and chil- dren and dumped their bodies in Oregon's coastal waters. Investigators have not said how they were killed or why. Sheri Johansen, who used to trade jokes with Longo when he worked at the espresso stand, said she is not ready to believe any of the bad stuff until she hears him confess. "He just seemed so happy-go-lucky," Johansen said. "He seemed like he had a lot of money. And oh, God, cute kids. Adorable kids." The bodies of Zachary Michael, 5, and Sadie attorney Ann, 3, were found days before Christmas in an Oregon backwater. Then, two days after the holi- day, police divers found the body of his wife, Mary Jane, and youngest daughter, 2-year-old Madison, stuffed under a dock behind his condo. By the time authorities identified the young- sters and began searching for Longo, he was gone, like so many other times in his life. The Longos were married in 1993 and lived in Ypsilanti. They took regular vacations to nice places, particularly Mexico, said Mary Jane's sister, Penny Dupuie of South Boardman, Mich. Bush faces major r test with Enron Powell: Dialogue can diffuse India- Pakitntensions Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON - The Enron Corp.'s collapse is forcing President Bush to balance his skepticism of gov- ernment regulation against his desire to show his independence, from the failed energy giant. From the federal rules governing private pensions to securities law, accounting standards and even cam- paign finance reform, proposals are proliferating on Capitol Hill for laws and regulations to cope with the ques- tionable practices highlighted by the company's crash. These multiplying Enron-related reform ideas present a pointed political dilemma for Bush. He arrived in Washington general- ly committed to rolling back federal regulation of business. And he has staffed many key regulatory agen- cies - including the Securities and Exchange Commission - with alumni of the industries they over- see. But now, many analysts say, the White House may face irresistible pressure to distance itself from Enron by proposing new policy ini- tiatives that respond to the compa- ny's alleged abuses. This pressure "is going to nudge (the administra- tion) even further away from its basic (anti-regulatory) ideological instincts," said Donald Kettl, a polit- ical scientist at the University of Wisconsin. In the firestorm over Enron, Bush may face a political imperative similar to one that confronted President Clin- ton when his 1996 campaign fund-rais- ing practices came under intense criticism. Clinton tried to transmute an ethical controversy into a policy debate by arguing that the real problem was a flawed system - not his own actions - and proposing campaign finance reform. AP PHOTO Heather Carson waits for her husband to bring her car around outside Enron Corp. headquarters with some of the plants she bought yesterday from the embattled company, which is longer paying for the plants' upkeep. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell, on a South Asia peace mission, met last night with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and said dialogue with India is the only way to resolve the month-long standoff over Kashmir. Powell said he will carry new ideas to India today when he meets with Indian officials. Appearing with Powell at a news conference, Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar did not indicate a willing- ness to take new steps to ease tensions, suggesting that the next move is India's. But, he said Pakistan will "respond immediately" to any positive gesture on India's part. Powell once again praised the steps Musharraf has taken to ease tensions, and he invited the Pakistani leader to visit Washington for the first time since he took office more than two years ago. Earlier, Powell said in an interview with Pakistani television that any effort to achieve peace in Kashmir must take into account the wishes of people in the disputed region. He said his goal on his two-day peace mission is to "bridge whatever outstand- ing differences there are that will keep us from de-escalating as soon as possible." Yesterday, India said it was open to dialogue with Pakistan and said that Musharraf's speech Saturday con- demning terrorism was "path-break- ing." India initially gave the speech a lukewarm response. "I have not heard earlier any other Pakistani leader denouncing theocracy in the manner in which Gen. Mushar- raf did," India's Home Minister Lal. K. Advani said after returning to New Delhi from a trip to Washington. En route to Islamabad, Powell said Musharraf's speech "certainly showed that this rush toward conflict, : think, has been slowed quite a bit." In his talks here, Powell said he wants "to see what we have to do now to bring this to a complete halt and then start going in reverse." Powell said the key issue now is not a troop pullback but progress on diplo- matic and political fronts. Once that is achieved, "then the armies can pull back in due course." Yesterday, Musharraf coupled his hopes for a peaceful end to the stand- off with a statement that he still backs Kashmir's struggle against "Indian occupation." Powell said he was pleased by the large numbers of arrests of Pakistani militants by Pakistani authorities in recent days. There were more than 70 arrests Tuesday, bringing the four-day total to more than 1,600. Almost 500 offices have been closed, authorities said. Powell has been in almost constant telephone contact with the two sides since the crisis erupted on December 13 when a terrorist attack on India's Parliament killed nine Indians and the five attackers. Powell said the good relations the United States has with the two coun- tries has been helpful in preventing the conflict from getting out of control. Politicians look to unload Enron gifts The Washington Post WASHINGTON - Until a few weeks ago, Enron Corp. ranked among the biggest contributors to lawmakers and campaign committees of both parties. But now that the Houston-based firm is considered politically radioactive, congressional members and party officials are devising ways to give away hundreds of thousands of dollars in Enron donations to distance themselves from the company's woes. The Republican Party's three major campaign committees are dumping the biggest chunk of Enron donations - at least $280,000 altogether. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, meanwhile, says it will give $100,000 in Enron "soft money" donations to charities helping former Enron employees. Numerous House and Senate members also say they'll divest themselves of Enron contributions. Many are trying to determine the most credible of the charitable groups providing support to dis- placed Enron employees. The retirement funds of many workers evaporated as Enron's stock prices plummeted. ' Among the quickest to sever themselves of financial links to Enron are those facing tough campaigns this year. They include Sens. Jean Carnahan (D-Mo.), Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.), and Tim Johnson (D- S.D.). They're returning, or giving to charity, amounts ranging from $1,000 to $3,200. Sen. Gordon Smith, (R-Ore.) said he'll give away the $8,100 in Enron donations he received since 1997. The top House Democrat, Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, recently said the $1,000 that Enron donated to his Democratic Leadership Fund will go to the St. Louis Children's Hospital. "We just felt like we wanted to give it to charity because there are so many problems surrounding Enron now," a Gephardt spokesman told reporters.