Daily Archives: April 22, 2006

Will April 20 always be a day to worry about?

April 22, 200612:05 a.m.

If the five teens in southeast Kansas hoped to evoke memories of Columbine with their own massacre at Riverton High School, they succeeded without firing a shot. Their pre-emptive arrest Thursday, after a warning about the alleged plot turned up on the Web site MySpace.com, again had people wondering how other students could know what was going on but parents and authorities apparently didn’t, and whether these kids, described as “different,” were seeking revenge for being bullied. Much remains to be sorted out about this shocking story. But you have to wonder whether the Columbine anniversary, April 20, will ever stop being a day to worry about.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (33)

‘Change-agent’ has been resistant to change

April 22, 200612:03 a.m.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has been on the offensive, dismissing the generals who have criticized him as being opposed to change. But as this New York Times news analysis points out, that’s actually the same charge that several of the generals are leveling at Rumsfeld. They say that Rumsfeld has been so wedded to his quick-strike approach to fighting wars that he wouldn’t make the needed adjustments in Iraq when it became clear that more boots were needed on the ground to secure the peace.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (21)

Give to Tiahrt, help pay DeLay’s legal bills?

April 22, 200612:01 a.m.

Steven A. Rosile, the secretary of the Libertarian Party of Kansas, had a commentary in Friday’s Opinion pages about the money Rep. Todd Tiahrt’s campaign has donated to other groups and candidates, including $4,000 to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. This is money that others donated to Tiahrt. An earlier Eagle news article reported how members of Congress who have healthy war chests and don’t have tough re-election races are expected to share some of their funds with vulnerable candidates. But Rosile asked: “Is this what contributors to Tiahrt’s campaign fund expected their money to be used for?” Rosile’s larger complaint is that federal campaign finance rules are so onerous that third parties are having trouble fielding candidates.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (44)