I recently drove past Beaumont on U.S. 400 out in the Flint Hills, and suddenly noticed dozens of wind generators on the horizon, a few miles to the south. They’re part of the controversial wind farm that has angered many residents of the area.
One argument is that the wind generators despoil the scenic beauty of the Flint Hills. I don’t agree. It’s a subjective response, in the eye of the beholder. These particular wind generators, to me, don’t dominate the landscape; I could have missed them if I didn’t happen to glance over. But they also reveal and gracefully work with a natural element of the Kansas landscape — wind — in a way that a transmission tower, say, doesn’t. Here’s one reader’s view:
“I think the wind farm at Beaumont is a thing of beauty. The turbines rising from the plains and turning in the wind are an evocation of Dutch windmills — a sight we all find pleasing. The value of energy production, coupled with their stark beauty, make these machines a powerful statement of man’s ability to harness his environment for good purposes.”
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Considering how low Vice President Dick Cheney’s approval ratings are right now, CNN might have been able to justify the black “X” that flashed over Cheney’s face during its airing of his Monday speech at the American Enterprise Institute as merely reflecting public opinion. But CNN says it was a “technical malfunction” that “we obviously regret,” though many right-wing bloggers aren’t buying that.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
It’s disappointing that the Wichita WaterWalk riverfront development is making so little use of the Arkansas River.
The WaterWalk development should have engaged and featured the riverfront. But as a reader pointed out in a letter last weekend, the Gander Mountain building has no relation to the river whatsoever — the big box might as well be in Andover. What happened to the promised restaurant overlooking the river, the decks and the dock for boats?
The building doesn’t even have a view of the river — its back is turned to the water. What a missed opportunity, especially for an outdoors retailer.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
This question came from an Opinion Line contributor:
Does Kansas Education Commissioner Bob Corkins remind anyone else of Beldar from the Coneheads of “Saturday Night Live,” or is it just me?
Posted by Melissa Cooley
It’s understandable that some religious conservatives are upset with the new religion course at the University of Kansas subtitled “Intelligent Design, Creationisms and other Religious Mythologies.” The term “mythologies” makes it sound as if believing in God as creator is akin to believing in Zeus or the giant turtle god. But as KU provost David Shulenburger explained in a Lawrence Journal-World article, “mythology” is an academic term referring to the common use of stories or rituals, and doesn’t necessarily mean that a story is untrue.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Another reason why Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., needs to do a thorough and honest job with his “phase two” report on the use of prewar intelligence information: German intelligence officials repeatedly warned the Bush administration not to trust Curveball, the code-named Iraqi defector who was the chief source of inaccurate claims that Iraq had a biological weapons arsenal, the Los Angeles Times reported. But not only did the Bush administration still use this information, without any qualifications, when making its public case for war, it exaggerated and mischaracterized Curveball’s claims, making the possible Iraqi threat seem more dire, the Germans said.
Is this true? Roberts needs to investigate this charge and, as he has promised, let the chips fall where they may.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The following spoof headlines come from the Web site borowitzreport.com:
BUSH ISSUES OFFICIAL LIST OF THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR; Not Talking to Cindy Sheehan High on List
REPUBLICANS DEMAND VOTE ON DROWNING OF KITTENS; Latest Attempt to Embarrass House Democrats
MARTHA STEWART BEGS TO RETURN TO PRISON; Desperate Bid to Boost Sagging Stock Price
THEORY OF DUMB DESIGN MAY EXPLAIN PAT ROBERTSON; Televangelist’s Brain, Mouth Elude Other Theories, Experts Say
FORMER PRESIDENTS BUSH, CLINTON ON EMERGENCY MISSION TO WHITE HOUSE; Latest Relief Mission for Globe-trotting Ex-Chiefs
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
It’s good that the U.S. Department of Education is going to allow some states to track the educational progress of individual students as part of the No Child Left Behind mandate. It never made sense that the NCLB tests compared different groups of kids from one grade year to the next (such as comparing this year’s fourth-graders to last year’s fourth-graders). Still, the requirement that every student — including those with learning disabilities and who are learning English as a second language — must be proficient in reading and math remains statistically impossible, regardless of how it is measured.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
