Members of Congress are right to be holding firm on the need for a credible investigation into the plan to turn over significant operations of six major U.S. ports to an Arab nation with a mixed record on terrorism. Revelations Monday that the U.S. Coast Guard had security concerns about the company raise questions anew about why the full 45-day review process was not followed by the interagency panel that approved the deal.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, emerged from a briefing Monday about the Coast Guard questions saying she was “more convinced than ever that the process was truly flawed.”
And it’s amazing that Cabinet officials with relevant oversight authority, including the secretaries of Defense, Treasury and Homeland Security, knew nothing about the sale until it hit the newspapers — nor did President Bush, who nonetheless stuck to his talking point that there is no big difference between a British firm and an Arab firm running our ports.
Wow. Really? Good luck selling that. Most Americans don’t see it that way. In fact, 70 percent of Americans, including 58 percent of Republicans, oppose the sale, according to the latest CBS News survey.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Here is Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen’s take on President Bush’s defense of the port sale:
“There are times when George Bush sorely disappoints. Just when you might expect him to issue a malapropian explanation, pander to his base or simply not have a clue about what he is talking about, he does something so right, so honest and, yes, so commendable, that — as Arthur Miller put it in ‘Death of a Salesman’ — ‘attention must be paid.’ Pay attention to how he has refused to indulge anti-Arab sentiment over the Dubai ports deal.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Osama bin Laden is alive and well and living large in Pakistan, according to a Washington Post commentary by Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid, who charges that the Bush administration and its Pakistan “ally,” Gen. Pervez Musharraf, aren’t doing nearly enough to catch him. Far from cowering in a cave, bin Laden probably is living quite comfortably in the friendly Pashtun region of Pakistan, according to various sources.
After five years, why can’t the world’s last superpower and its allies find the 6-foot-5-inch al-Qaida leader and his lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri, whose latest taunting videos only underscore the failure to bring them to justice?
Apologists trot out the case of abortion clinic bomber Eric Rudolph and how long it took to catch him — but Rudolph wasn’t the subject of a manhunt this massive, involving every resource of government.
Does it matter whether we catch bin Laden? Yes. As Rashid observes, “Every single day that bin Laden stays alive is a day that inspires the extremists who protect him and join his ranks.”
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The Washington Post has had two recent commentaries with contrasting portraits of Hamas. The first was a Q&A with Hamas’ new prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh (in photo). Here is a sample:
Q: Does a peace in stages means the ultimate obliteration of the Jewish people?
A: We do not have any feelings of animosity toward Jews. We do not wish to throw them into the sea. All we seek is to be given our land back, not to harm anybody.
Q: Do you recognize Israel’s right to exist?
A: The answer is to let Israel say it will recognize a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, release the prisoners and recognize the rights of the refugees to return to Israel. Hamas will have a position if this occurs.
The other commentary was by Henry Kissinger. Here’s his take:
“Hamas represents the mind-set that prevented the full recognition of Israel’s legitimacy by the PLO for all these decades, kept Yasser Arafat from accepting partition of Palestine at Camp David in 2000, produced two intifadas and consistently supported terrorism. Far too much of the debate within the Palestinian camp has been over whether Israel should be destroyed immediately by permanent confrontation or in stages in which occasional negotiations serve as periodic armistices.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Kansas’ Kathleen Sebelius, in Washington, D.C., for the National Governors Association meeting, is among those governors worried about what the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are doing to the National Guard. The hardships created by the deployment of tens of thousands of Guard members has been the most obvious result, but The New York Times also noted that the Army National Guard has left more than 64,000 pieces of equipment in Iraq alone since 2003. In addition to the personnel, Sebelius said, “We are also missing a lot of the equipment that’s used to deal with situations at home, day in and day out.” That’s not a small thing for the states that must rely on their National Guard in natural disasters. Just ask Louisiana.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Americans might have to dig deeper to help the Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Katrina. Two-thirds of the record-breaking $3 billion in private charity funds raised after Hurricane Katrina have already been spent on immediate relief efforts such as food and water, temporary housing and living stipends, according to a Washington Post survey.
Meanwhile, the federal response continues to fall short. It’s far from certain whether the government will find the hundreds of billions of dollars needed for long-term infrastructure reconstruction.
Millions of dollars were wasted by FEMA on trailers that will never be used. Thousands of people are still living near the wreckage of their homes, waiting for cleanup help. And New Orleans has started allowing residents to rebuild homes at existing levels, in part because FEMA still hasn’t issued guidelines for rebuilding above flood stage.
The immediate federal Katrina response was a mess. But the reconstruction and follow-up aren’t looking any better.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
NORTH KOREA WINS CONTRACT TO PROVIDE LUGGAGE INSPECTION AT U.S. AIRPORTS; Bush Dismisses Concerns as the ‘Soft Bigotry of High Expectations’
DOUG MAYS DROPS F-BOMB ON VISITING SCHOOLKIDS; Children Had Asked House Speaker Why There Wasn’t More Money for Schools
SEBELIUS’ PICNIC WITH MUPPETS TURNS UGLY; Miss Piggy Refuses to Eat Kansas-Made Fried Pork Skins
MAYANS CALLS FOR COMPETITIVE BALLROOM DANCING AT WSU; Mayor Complains That Athletic Director Jim Schaus Won’t Return Phone Calls
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Competition is good for businesses — and for consumers. As our editorial today argues, that’s the obvious reason to support a bill approved last week by the Kansas Senate that would establish a state franchising system to speed entry of TV competitors such as AT&T into state cable markets.
The city of Wichita and other local governments oppose the bill because it takes away their power to negotiate contracts directly with cable providers such as Cox Communications, which understandably wants to hold onto its near-monopoly. But cities would still receive fees, and Kansas consumers would benefit from a streamlined, statewide franchise system that should result in more video and communications offerings at lower costs.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Some U.S. officials have spoken about the recent sectarian violence in Iraq with surprising detachment, as if it’s separate from the U.S. effort to counter the insurgency and enable democracy to take hold. But isn’t it all entwined and, worse, fueled by U.S. money? Reports continue to emerge of anti-Sunni death squads within Iraq’s police and highway patrol. When asked Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” whether Shiite death squads had infiltrated the Iraqi Interior Ministry, national security adviser Stephen Hadley said, “There’s been some evidence of it. And it’s troubling.” Troubling? Most Americans would have a stronger word for the news that U.S. tax dollars have helped fund hundreds of roadside executions.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The latest Kansas Preservation newsletter had an interesting article about efforts to locate and preserve Kansas governors’ homes. Looking over the list reinforced again how rarely Wichita, the state’s largest city, has produced a governor — only four of 54 govs, in fact — the last one being Edward Arn, who served a half-century ago, from 1951-55 (and whose house at 344 N. Fountain is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places).
Oh sure, Wichita offers up plenty of lieutenant governors, such as Gary Sherrer and John Moore, as well as lieutenant governor wannabes such as Sen. Susan Wagle, but few governors.
Why is that? Is there a lack of ambition around here?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
No tips without service: The board of directors of Overland Park-based Applebee’s restaurants has denied CEO Lloyd Hill his annual bonus after a year of slumping corporate profits. Hill could have received as much as $1 million in bonuses.
“We walk the talk when it comes to pay-for-performance,” said company spokeswoman Laurie Ellison.
More companies need to follow this example and put bloated CEO salaries on a diet.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
A reminder that Americans shouldn’t take our precious First Amendment protections for granted: British historian David Irving got a three-year jail sentence last week for denying the Holocaust in remarks he made 17 years ago in Austria, where making such an assertion is a crime — even though Irving has since acknowledged that the Nazis systematically slaughtered Jews during World War II. Of course, the case also can remind Kansas legislators that they continue to allow a criminal defamation law to remain on the books. As long as they do, there remains a chance that Kansans can be jailed for exercising their free speech, too.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Frugal Kansans who also like a little wine with dinner are getting some special legislative attention this session. Senate Bill 555 would let diners take half-finished bottles of wine home with them under certain conditions — such as that a bottle be sealed in a tamper-proof transparent bag for transport in a vehicle, to bar against drinking and driving. The “doggie bag bill” won Senate approval last week and sounds like common sense, as long as diners don’t actually share these leftovers with their dogs.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, whose law firm is helping represent the United Arab Emirates in the bungled U.S. ports deal, at least doesn’t seem to be as tone-deaf as the Bush administration on this political fiasco.
He announced Thursday that he would not lobby members of Congress after Democrats raised questions about the possible conflict of interest with his wife, Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., who opposes the deal.
He said he would limit himself to efforts to “help the American people understand the real facts.” Still, this can’t be a lobbying job that Dole relishes. He’s too savvy not to see how bad this looks to most Americans. They must be paying him well.
Meanwhile, more damaging info emerged about the decision-making process: Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff joined the list of Cabinet members with direct oversight (Treasury, Defense) who didn’t know anything about this deal.
Do WE bloggers think the ports sale is simply delayed or dead? My guess is the latter.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Some 45 percent of all Republicans say they are “very happy,” compared with 30 percent of Democrats, according to an annual survey by the Pew Research Center. And it’s not because Republicans tend to be wealthier; Republicans are happier than Democrats in all income categories, the survey found. Republicans also aren’t just happy because they control all three branches of government; Republicans have been happier every year since the survey began in 1972.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The Kansas Senate approved a bill last week creating a Legislative Compensation Commission to make recommendations about raising lawmakers’ salaries. The concern is that low pay is keeping many Kansans from serving in the Legislature. Lawmakers do put in long hours for relatively modest salaries — base pay for a rank-and-file legislator is $23,035. But it would take a major salary increase to make the job economically appealing to many professionals. And rather than attracting higher-caliber candidates to run for public office, would we just end up with higher paid ideologues?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Congressional Democrats may be coming together around a plan to begin pulling troops from Iraq and redeploying them to other parts of the region — where they could be called upon to respond to emergencies in Iraq but also fight terror elsewhere.
The Boston Globe reported that many leading Democrats say the plan “represents an answer to Republicans’ oft-repeated charge that Democrats aren’t offering a way forward on Iraq — and to do so in a way that is neither defeatist nor blindly loyal to the president.”
Posted by Melissa Cooley
Wichita Mayor Carlos Mayans took some deserved heat for recently including the resurrection of Wichita State University football among his six visions for the community. But he also deserves credit for counting cultural funding among those priorities. To follow up on the current budget’s added $712,000 for arts organizations, Mayans told KSN, Channel 3, “I still believe we need to have 1 mill earmarked for this project, and I am willing to reach some kind of a consensus to do it, limited for five years, to see the impact it will have on arts and culture on our area.” As the cultural funding review panel prepares to take on its second round of grants, and submit to the scrutiny of the city’s budget cycle, it’s good to know that Mayans gets it — that arts and attractions help make a community unique and interesting, as they generate jobs and revenue.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, this week angrily said that Wichita lawyer Alan Rupe “can shove it up his ass” when told that Rupe, who represents schools in the funding lawsuit, didn’t think the House’s school-finance plan was good enough.
A raucous House stomped and cheered in support Friday when Mays returned in triumph.
Of course, the great orator — like his f-bombing mentor, Dick Cheney — later refused to apologize for expressing “what I was feeling.” The vulgarity “speaks for itself,” he said.
It certainly does. Eloquence! Thy name is Mays! One hopes that Kansas schoolchildren were in attendance to see how our political leaders guide debate and build consensus. Inspiring.
For his part, Rupe replied, “I won’t be going hunting with Doug Mays anytime soon.”
Posted by Randy Scholfield
House lawmakers whiffed this week on two softball chances to bring more sunshine and accountability to government. One bill would have made probable cause affidavits open records. These affidavits, in which police officers give reasons for asking a judge to issue an arrest warrant, are presumed open in at least 45 other states (and they’ve had no problems). The other bill would have allowed a public official to object to participating in a closed or executive session, if that person believed it violated the state’s open meetings law. At that point, if the meeting continued, it would have to be recorded for possible review by a judge. As our editorial on today’s opinion page notes, these were modest, compromise measures that would have provided some needed openness and scrutiny — which is likely why the district attorneys, cities, counties and school board associations were so vigorously opposed to them.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
My column Friday took note of the eight Nebraska meatpackers who have become instant multimillionaires by winning a $365 million lottery. More powerball to them.
But while the nation indulges in fantasies about being awarded unimaginable wealth for doing nothing, millions of low-income Americans who work hard and play by the rules continue to fall further behind.
Many of the Wichitans standing in line at the Lord’s Diner have jobs. They just can’t make ends meet. This country’s moral failure to raise the $5.15-an-hour federal minimum wage or — better — provide a living wage is grossly unfair, because the minimum wage at its present level is really a poverty wage.
No one who works hard should be unable to make ends meet. Too bad so few politicians of either party are talking about this problem.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The old state office building was such a run-down eyesore for so long at Douglas and Rutan in the College Hill area, that just getting it torn down was a major improvement.
But it’s even better news to hear that local developer Mike Loveland is considering something different and eye-catching for this prime College Hill location: a row of big-city style brownstone apartments, two or three stories high, along with a high-rise condominium.
At least that’s one idea being considered, and it’s getting a good response from neighborhood residents.
Kudos to developers who take into account the aesthetics and opinions of a neighborhood when undertaking projects.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
I thought I would try something new and have a thread that is open for comments on whatever topic you want. That way you don’t have to wait on us to kick off a particular subject or react to breaking news. Let me know if you would like this to be a regular feature.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
It would certainly be better for the state budget and taxpayers if the Legislature phases in a funding increase for K-12 education. A House proposal released Thursday would spread $500 million in new school spending over the next three years. But would the Kansas Supreme Court really go for phasing in a constitutional requirement? After all, the reason for the delay is primarily political: Lawmakers and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius don’t want to raise taxes during an election year.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
