The Bush administration’s plan to try Guantanamo Bay detainees before military commissions violates both military law and the Geneva Conventions, the Supreme Court ruled today. The finding could have a lasting and far-reaching impact, The Washington Post reported, because it dealt with:
* “The power of Congress and the executive to strip the federal courts and the Supreme Court of jurisdiction.
* “The authority of the executive to lock up individuals under claims of wartime power, without benefit of traditional protections such as a jury trial, the right to cross-examine one’s accusers and the right to judicial appeal.
*‚”The applicability of international treaties — specifically the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war — to the government’s treatment of those it deems ‘enemy combatants.’”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
In terms of how the new Iraq is going to find its way forward, it makes sense for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to seek a way to make some kind of peace with the insurgency. And peace might necessitate some kind of forgiveness. That is why Maliki’s new 24-point national reconciliation plan proposes amnesty, though only to “those not proven involved in crimes, terrorist activities and war crimes against humanity.” In a televised address Wednesday, he stressed that “will exclude fighters who killed Iraqis or soldiers of the multinational forces.” But could the Iraqi government be sure it doesn’t give amnesty to any insurgents with American blood on their hands? And how much should the United States meddle in this important step?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Line-item veto authority won’t balance the federal budget, but it could be a useful tool in helping curb pork barrel spending. So the Senate should follow the House’s lead and give President Bush and future presidents the authority to veto provisions in a spending bill without vetoing the entire measure.
As Bush noted in calling for such authority this week, line-item vetoes would “shine the light of day on spending items that get passed in the dark of the night” and send “a healthy signal to the people that we’re going to be wise about how we spend their money.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
In a landmark report, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona (in photo) this week sent the strongest ever warning about the dangers of secondhand tobacco smoke: It’s a killer.
“The debate is over. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard,” he said this week.
He cited “overwhelming scientific evidence” that tens of thousands of Americans die each year from lung cancer, heart disease and other illnesses as a result of “involuntary smoking” — and children who live with parental smokers are especially at risk for a range of health problems.
The report should give new momentum to those seeking smoke-free public places in Kansas and Wichita.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that state lawmakers may draw new maps of congressional districts anytime they want, rather than just once a decade as the Constitution requires and has been standard practice. As a result, expect state legislatures to redraw the maps whenever they think it might benefit the majority party, as former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay orchestrated in Texas.
Rather than having politicians in charge of redistricting, which results in crazy quilt districts aimed a protecting incumbents, more states should follow the lead of Iowa, which has a legislative service bureau draw its map.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
More and more Americans may finally be ready to do something about global warming. That’s the thinking behind DaimlerChrysler’s 2008 release of its Smart mini-car in the United States. The company had shelved an earlier plan to do just that, but a company executive told The New York Times, “Now is the right time to go to the U.S. The world, and the U.S., has changed in the last two years.” That change is also evident in Wichita, where the June 29 screening of Al Gore’s movie about global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth,” filled up well in advance and left organizers with a 60-person waiting list. “People are gradually starting to think, ‘What can I do?’” said Elizabeth Bishop of the Sierra Club Kansas Chapter.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
Wednesday’s guilty verdict in the capital case of Greg Moore was no surprise, given the dramatic testimony about the standoff and shoot-out last April that left Harvey County Deputy Sheriff Kurt Ford dead and Hesston police Detective Chris Eilert wounded in Newton. This heartbreaking case, like the murder of Greenwood County Sheriff Matt Samuels before it, has reminded all Kansans of the daily dangers faced by law enforcement in communities large and small, and of the gratitude we owe these courageous public servants.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
