President Bush said at a press conference in Denmark on Wednesday that he would be assessing potential U.S. Supreme Court nominees for “their character, their interests” — not their legal rulings. But he may be the only one.
Already, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has been taking heat from conservatives for not being pro-life enough. Here is an interesting look at the front-runners’ views on abortion from Slate.com. President Bush may not be interested, but everyone else sure seems to be.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
Kansas newly allows Sunday and holiday sales of packaged liquor and beer — not that anybody in these parts could buy any this past Sunday and July Fourth holiday. Local governments have to OK it first, and the Wichita City Council seems in no hurry to even discuss it. But keep an eye on Park City, which has been on the cutting edge of all things lately and where the City Council will take up Sunday sales on July 12. Chances are if Park City becomes a Sunday sales island, competitive pressures will motivate its neighboring cities to dive in.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The reactions to our July 2 editorial headlined “Quick: Arena tax temporary — really” suggest that local leaders have some serious credibility problems to overcome among taxpayers. Many in Sedgwick County aren’t buying that the 1 percent arena sales tax will go away by December 2007, never mind that the deadline was written into the ballot question that voters approved in endorsing the 15,000-seat downtown arena. One reader even bet us a large cherry limeade that the arena tax will still be going in 31 months. We’ll take that bet, though we could sure use one about now.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Africa’s bleak situation has never looked bleaker: A recent United Nations report says that about 65 percent of Africans, or about 307 million, live on less than $1 per day — double the number of Africans who lived in extreme poverty 30 years ago. And some 6 million Africans die each year from preventable causes such as malnutrition and malaria.
Leading up to this week’s Group of Eight summit, British Prime Minister Tony Blair called for rich industrialized nations to double aid to Africa and cancel $40 billion in debt.
Smartly targeted aid could do much to alleviate the continent’s staggering human needs.
But money alone can’t solve Africa’s problems.
Many aid experts and Africans themselves say the money won’t make a real difference unless G-8 nations and African leaders also confront the widespread government corruption in nations such as Zimbabwe.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper has agreed to testify about his sources in the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity. What if it was Karl Rove, whom Cooper’s already released notes seem to point toward? Will President Bush really show zero tolerance?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Mayor Carlos Mayans had a good caution in Wednesday’s Eagle story about Sedgwick County and the Wichita police selling surplus items online: “We just need to make certain we put the right items for sale.” Given the city’s past experience with public art, let’s hope they don’t mistakenly sell the Keeper of the Plains — though it would be OK if the city unloaded a slightly used blue roof.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
