Now that the "kidnapping" of 16-year-old Kelsey Stelting of Independence has been revealed as no such thing, Kansans caught up in the drama surrounding Tuesday’s Amber Alert can only wonder what would cause anyone to tell such a costly fib and, in the process, mobilize multiple law enforcement agencies. Maybe the tale will at least deter other kids from doing such a thing. Then again, as the sextuplets scam in Missouri this week again demonstrated, people of all ages think they can get away with really dumb things.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
State Board of Education member Connie Morris was at it again. This time she interrupted a science class at Wichita’s Stucky Middle School to tell the teacher that she was offended by a picture of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, an anti-evolution parody, that was hanging on the classroom door. She then told the principal that she wanted it removed. Fortunately, fellow board member Sue Gamble was also along on the tour. “I advised the principal that Morris has no authority,” she told The Eagle. “I told him to deal with his staff as he saw fit, not by what a state board member says.” Especially Morris.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
What do you think of WSU men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon’s new 10-year contract that pays him a base salary of $750,000 a year? Contributors to The Eagle’s Opinion Line think it reflects screwed-up priorities. One of the comments on today’s Opinion pages argues: “Mark Turgeon is going to make 15 times what I do. For what? My profession is hazardous and takes skill, licensing and hard work. What makes a ball-bouncer coach worth $750,000 per year?” The question is: How much revenue and good will does a winning coach bring the university, and how much is that worth in the marketplace?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Antonin Scalia has been on the U.S. Supreme Court for 20 years. That’s a lot of years and cases and decisions. Yet he told students at the University of Connecticut’s law school Wednesday: “I think the proudest thing I have done on the bench is not allow myself to be chased off that case” — “that case” being the one about whether Vice President Dick Cheney, his friend and hunting buddy, should have to reveal details about the secret White House sessions that led to the Bush energy policy (in the end, Cheney didn’t). Surely Scalia was exaggerating about where the episode falls among his points of pride. He also said, “For Pete’s sake, if you can’t trust your Supreme Court justice more than that, get a life.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
If private prisons in Kansas are a good idea — and they may be fine — their authorization should be able to survive the legislative committee process and pass as a stand-alone bill. Instead, a private prisons amendment was tacked onto a bill increasing prison time for sex offenders. And given that it’s an election year, politicians — including Gov. Kathleen Sebelius — are eager to appear tough on crime and are likely to approve the bill without giving private prisons proper scrutiny. That’s a mistake, given the security and abuse reports from private prisons in other states. Also, Kansas Secretary of Corrections Roger Werholtz opposes private prisons and argues that they can make the state system less efficient. Don’t his concerns at least deserve a committee hearing?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, giving a Dole Lecture for the University of Kansas’ Dole Institute of Politics, said Monday that “it is way too expensive” to run for office and that he would “support a constitutional amendment to limit the time and amount of money required to campaign.” But Daschle’s amendment might violate the First Amendment’s provision against laws “abridging the freedom of speech.” And incumbents, who are well-served by the status quo, can’t seriously be expected to pass anything to help those who would challenge them. (Not that the status quo work so well for Daschle in 2004, of course.)
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The following satirical headlines come from the Web site borowitzreport.com:
NEW BUSH PLAN ALLOWS IMMIGRANTS TO WORK AS SCAPEGOATS; Illegal Aliens to Be ‘Guest Scapegoats’ for Duration of 2006 Campaign
OSAMA MOVES TO ‘THE VIEW’; TV’s Game of Musical Chairs Continues
CHENEY AUTHORIZED BUSH TO AUTHORIZE CHENEY TO AUTHORIZE LEAK; Leak Plot Thickens as New Documents Emerge
BUSH CALLS PARALYSIS OF IRAQI GOVERNMENT A SIGN OF DEMOCRACY; President Hails Partisan Wrangling, Inaction
CHENEY HAS NO FRIENDS AT MYSPACE.COM; Latest Trouble Sign for Embattled Veep
RUSSIA CAUGHT SMUGGLING BIRTHDAY CAKE TO SADDAM; Hacksaw, Nail File Found in Smuggled Dessert
CONDI SAYS NUMBER OF U.S. MISTAKES CLOSER TO A BILLION; Forgot All the Mistakes Rumsfeld Made, Rice Says
FEMA: U.S. PREPARED FOR HURRICANE, BIRD FLU AS LONG AS HURRICANE WIPES OUT BIRDS; Disasters Are Our Friend, FEMA Chief Tells Congress
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
