Daily Archives: July 3, 2006

And, no, it’s not coming from trees

President Bush still refuses to grasp some basic facts about global warming. While telling reporters last week that it’s a “serious problem,” he went on to assert that “there’s a debate over whether (global warming) is man-made or naturally caused.”
Sigh. Well, no, there’s no debate — not in the scientific community, anyway, which has overwhelmingly concluded that humans are playing a key role in climate change. In fact, just days earlier, the National Academies of Science concluded that “human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming.”
Is the president even being briefed on science issues? Or is he just not paying attention?
The debate is now shifting to what nations can do to stop the warming trend and avoid catastrophic scenarios.
Memo to President Bush: You might want to see Al Gore’s movie after all.
Posted by Randy Scholfield

Anti-abortion and pro-shoplifting?

Interesting article in The Pitch about the legal problems of conservative state Rep. Patricia Kilpatrick, R-Overland Park, who is leaving the Legislature amid reports of not paying bills and being arrested for shoplifting.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

When no endorsement might be better than two

Kansans for Life signaled its level of comfort with two of the three leading GOP contenders for governor, endorsing both Sen. Jim Barnett, R-Emporia, and fathering guru Ken Canfield of Overland Park. Former House Speaker Robin Jennison of Healy was snubbed, despite a longtime pro-life voting record. What looks like their tie might work against Barnett and Canfield at the Aug. 1 primary, though. As Bob Beatty, a Washburn University professor, told The Topeka Capital-Journal, “This dual endorsement gives credence to the possibility of a Canfield-Barnett split for the conservative vote, which might help Jennison.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman

Prepare for the guaranteed epidemic, too

As America prepares for an uncertain epidemic of bird flu, it should also be preparing for a certain epidemic of Alzheimer’s, Robert Essner argues in this commentary for The Washington Post. One in 10 boomers will be affected by the disease, he writes, emotionally draining families while at the same time draining federal and state health care budgets. He argues that the federal government should give Alzheimer’s drugs the same priority status as it has given to AIDS and cancer treatments. If this country does not make Alzheimer’s research a priority, more generations of Americans could suffer needlessly from this dreadful disease.
Posted by Melissa Cooley