An Opinion Line contributor wondered, “Is it just me, or did anyone else notice the uncanny resemblance between Karen Hughes, Bush’s adviser, and our own state Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, on the Opinion pages of Wednesday’s paper? Either they were separated at birth, or conservative Republican women are required to have the same haircut.”
Posted by Melissa Cooley
Sparks have flown since Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., became chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees spending for the local government in Washington, D.C., because his social conservatism doesn’t play well with some local officials. Now he wants to give low-income D.C. couples a marriage bonus — up to $9,000 in federal money to help such marrying couples buy homes, fund children’s educations and more. Everybody can get behind the goal of promoting stable two-parent families. But is it government’s job to underwrite them?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Did you see The New York Times article on how some conservatives are trying to read socially conservative messages into the “March of the Penguins”? One pro-lifer said the movie “verified the beauty of life and the righteousness of protecting it.” Rich Lowry of National Review claimed it promoted monogamy (even though penguins are monogamous only for one birthing season). And Andrew Coffin argued in World Magazine that the movie made “a strong case for intelligent design.” But as conservative columnist George Will observed: “If an Intelligent Designer designed nature, why did it decide to make breeding so tedious for those penguins?”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The buzz is growing about Kansas Republicans’ interest in drafting Gen. Richard Myers, outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to challenge Gov. Kathleen Sebelius next year. One of Myers’ assets is thought to be his lack of a legislative voting record. But the Kansas State University graduate certainly has another kind of record. As Kansas City Star columnist Steve Kraske asked Sunday, “wouldn’t it be interesting if a simple little Midwestern governor’s race became explosive with arguments over missing weapons of mass destruction and the handling of the war?”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Four out of five Americans say they think too many reality TV shows are on the air, according to an AP-TV Guide poll. And 82 percent said the shows are either “totally made up” or “mostly distorted.” But until millions of viewers stop tuning in to “Survivor” and “American Idol,” the networks are sure to keep pulling has-been stars like Bobby Brown out of obscurity and trying to force them into our living rooms.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
A highlight of Saturday’s broadcast of “A Prairie Home Companion” from the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson was the “Kansas Rap” that host Garrison Keillor had fashioned from suggested bumper stickers sent to him by Wichitan Charlie Whitworth. Some Kansans may find the wit a bit rough — and somebody needed to update Keillor on the state’s liquor laws — but it has some good laughs. Here’s one stanza among five:
“A person who moves to Kansas learns/We drive fast and don’t signal turns./And a Kansas gourmet restaurant serves/A plate of fries as your hors d’oeuvres./There’s cold winds and blazing sun./Where we raise the beef and the bun./It’s rangeland and endless sky./It’s where fashions come to die./No bourbon in a silver flask./No Sunday liquor — don’t even ask./No poker hands to be dealt./We’re the third notch on the Bible Belt./No painted ladies on our arms./No need for casinos, we’ve got farms.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
