The deal giving a United Arab Emirates-owned company the management of six major U.S. ports has launched a bipartisan mutiny in Congress, but the security fears are probably overblown: Shipping is an international business, say industry experts, with many flags operating in American ports. And under the deal, port security would still be handled by the U.S. Coast Guard and other domestic authorities.
That said, port security is a huge concern, and there’s some dispute about how trusted an ally the United Arab Emirates is in the war on terror. Allowing an Arab nation to operate U.S. ports sounds crazy to many Americans.
Instead of threatening lawmakers with his first veto, President Bush should consult with them about how this port deal was vetted and convince them that it doesn’t open the door to terrorists. Congress also needs to look into why port security — a glaring vulnerability with only 5 percent of containers inspected — remains woefully underfunded.
That’s something to really get scared about.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
As the school finance debate finally gets rolling, with a House plan coming out Thursday and a Senate plan next week, many numbers will be flying around the Statehouse. Here’s one that probably won’t be: $271 million. That’s how much money Missouri’s 11 casinos generated for public schools last year, and a lot of those dollars came out of the pockets of Kansans.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Democrats hold their biggest lead over Republicans in 14 years, according to public opinion polls. Nonetheless, many are convinced they will blow it again, and have started to point fingers. “Convinced they will face another disappointment in November, Democrats are already busy figuring out who among them should be blamed for the inevitable defeat,” Dana Milbank of The Washington Post wrote in an op-ed commentary, which included a “guide for handicapping the Democratic precriminations.” His list (which has explanations for each excuse) included:
It’s Hillary’s fault.
It’s Bill’s fault.
It’s Joe Lieberman’s fault.
It’s Harry Reid’s fault.
It’s John Kerry’s fault.
It’s Al Gore’s fault.
It’s Howard Dean’s fault.
It’s Jack Murtha’s fault.
It’s Nancy Pelosi’s fault.
It’s Joe Biden’s fault.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, tells Time magazine that his biggest surprise about the job is that New Yorkers come up to him and say things like “Give ‘em hell,” that Eastern Europe is due a U.N. secretary-general, and that he’ll never run for office (whew). Asked about the prospects for a diplomatic resolution to the Iran nuclear crisis, which goes to the U.N. Security Council next month, Bolton also sounded more optimistic than most: “I never would have guessed that Libya was prepared to make the calculation that they were safer giving up the pursuit of nuclear weapons than continuing to go after them, and yet they did. . . . And that led to substantial progress in the relationship between Libya and the United States. If Libya can do it, Iran can do it, too. That’s why I say the decision ultimately is largely in their hands.” Bolton’s handling of the matter will be crucial, too.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Mayor Carlos Mayans took issue with Monday’s Eagle editorial criticizing his push to bring back Wichita State University football.
“The issue is enrollment,” he said. WSU’s enrollment decline since the end of football in 1986 has meant a loss of “millions of dollars,” argued the mayor.
A football program, he said, could attract students and help keep them on campus — and would be good for Wichita’s economic development and community spirit.
True, football is popular — no one’s against it in theory. But WSU has studied football pros and cons and decided against it, for a variety of reasons. It’s doubtful football would have a major impact on enrollment. And it is WSU’s decision to make, not the mayor’s.
The bottom line is cost. Unless Mayans and football backers can “show us the money,” this idea is a nonstarter. The mayor said to stay tuned; he’s working on funding. “I love a challenge,” he said.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Most of the debate and media attention about stem cell research focuses on embryonic stem cells. But David Prentice, a senior fellow for life science with the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback’s stem cell expert, argues that stem cells from umbilical cords and adults offer the greatest research potential. He told The Eagle editorial board last week that thousands of people are already being treated with these cells. “You’re seeing real results,” he said, unlike embryonic stem cells, which he argues generate more hype than research results.
Meanwhile, there is an interesting theory that stem cells may be key in helping understand and fight cancer. Some researchers believe that aberrant stem cells are responsible for helping tumors regenerate, The New York Times reported. If so, anti-cancer drugs need to be able to target these cancer stem cells in order to destroy tumors.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The following satirical headlines come from the Web site borowitzreport.com:
HALLIBURTON WINS CONTRACT TO RECONSTRUCT CHENEY’S REPUTATION; At $42 Billion, Largest Contract of its Kind, Company Says
ATHLETE WITHOUT COMPELLING PERSONAL DRAMA EXPELLED FROM OLYMPICS; Skier Concealed Adversity-Free Past From Officials, NBC
WITH SWEEPS UNDER WAY, NETWORKS ASK RUNAWAY BRIDE TO RUN AWAY AGAIN; Ratings-Hungry News Nets Make $1 Million Offer to Wilbanks
CHENEY ‘STILL WAITING’ FOR IRAQIS TO APOLOGIZE; Calls Invasion of Iraq ‘The Worst Day of My Life’
MICHAEL BROWN NAMED SECRETARY OF DEFENSIVENESS; Stunning Comeback for Former FEMA Chief
U.S. OFFERS TO RELOCATE INSURGENTS TO IRAN; ‘Keep Doing What You’re Doing’ Next Door, Rumsfeld Says
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
