The killing a month ago of al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi prompted some momentary and much-needed hope for Iraq’s future, but that optimism is fast fading in light of a renewed wave of bloody sectarian violence.
Some 6,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in violence in May and June, according to a new United Nations report — about 4,500 of them in Baghdad alone. That’s the highest rate of civilian deaths since the fall of Baghdad.
The Iraqi government’s recently adopted strategy of locking down and securing Baghdad seems to be failing, raising the specter of all-out civil war. Is America’s role to keep the warring sides apart? And as the spiking violence shows, is that even possible?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The killing a month ago of al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi prompted some momentary and much-needed hope for Iraq’s future, but that optimism is fast fading in light of a renewed wave of bloody sectarian violence.
Some 6,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in violence in May and June, according to a new United Nations report — about 4,500 of them in Baghdad alone. That’s the highest rate of civilian deaths since the fall of Baghdad.
The Iraqi government’s recently adopted strategy of locking down and securing Baghdad seems to be failing, raising the specter of all-out civil war. Is America’s role to keep the warring sides apart? And as the spiking violence shows, is that even possible?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The killing a month ago of al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi prompted some momentary and much-needed hope for Iraq’s future, but that optimism is fast fading in light of a renewed wave of bloody sectarian violence.
Some 6,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in violence in May and June, according to a new United Nations report — about 4,500 of them in Baghdad alone. That’s the highest rate of civilian deaths since the fall of Baghdad.
The Iraqi government’s recently adopted strategy of locking down and securing Baghdad seems to be failing, raising the specter of all-out civil war. Is America’s role to keep the warring sides apart? And as the spiking violence shows, is that even possible?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
You might have noticed a change in the photos in the left rail. I’m sorry to announce that Melissa Cooley is leaving The Eagle today; she’s moving to be closer to her family. She did a great job editing Reader Views letters and Opinion Line, writing items for this blog and helping us Luddites in the editorial department learn new technology. We’ll miss her. I’m happy, however, to introduce her replacement, Dave Knadler. Dave has worked as a copy editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer and as national wire editor at The Kansas City Star and has held editor positions at other newspapers. In his spare time, he writes detective fiction. We are looking forward to his contributions to this blog and to the newspaper.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
“For too long, my party wrote off the African-American vote, and many African-Americans wrote off the Republican Party,” President Bush told the NAACP Thursday. “I want to change the relationship.” That won’t be easy, but it is good that there is more dialogue — this was Bush’s first appearance at the NAACP’s annual convention since he ran for president in 2000. Bush called for the extension of the Voting Rights Act and noted some GOP issues that he thought could benefit African-Americans, including school choice, policies that promote the ownership of homes and businesses, and his faith-based initiatives.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
In an Op-Ed in The New York Times, orthopedic surgeon Andrew L. Haas recounted how he was hit and gravely wounded by an elderly driver, and decried that “someone can get behind the wheel of a potentially lethal automobile without having had his basic competence tested in decades. Most drivers receive their last exposure to driver education and testing in their mid-teens. This makes no sense. Given their great, and frequently proven, capacity to do harm, drivers should be required to take a continuing driver education course every 10 years.” He also notes that only Illinois and New Hampshire require road tests for older drivers — and those only after age 75. It’s a good question: As people live longer, shouldn’t we be taking greater care to ensure that older drivers are competent?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
On its face, Sedgwick County’s proposed 2007 budget does not look easy to cut, with its vital commitments to jail expansion, public safety, the aviation technical training center and low airfares. A tax increase would seem to be coming, if not this year, then next. But county commissioners are right to try to avoid the 12.2 percent property-tax hike that County Manager Bill Buchanan proposed Wednesday. That’s a lot for property owners to bear — especially business owners, and especially in light of the recent increases related to rising appraisals. For commissioners, the hard part will be to pare the budget further without breaking trust and shirking responsibilities. The situation also raises the pressure to secure state and federal funding for the tech center. And it’s fair for county officials to point to Topeka on this fiscal matter generally: If the state hadn’t balanced its budgets early in the decade by breaking its revenue-sharing commitments, local officials wouldn’t be so strapped for cash now.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
On its face, Sedgwick County’s proposed 2007 budget does not look easy to cut, with its vital commitments to jail expansion, public safety, the aviation technical training center and low airfares. A tax increase would seem to be coming, if not this year, then next. But county commissioners are right to try to avoid the 12.2 percent property-tax hike that County Manager Bill Buchanan proposed Wednesday. That’s a lot for property owners to bear — especially business owners, and especially in light of the recent increases related to rising appraisals. For commissioners, the hard part will be to pare the budget further without breaking trust and shirking responsibilities. The situation also raises the pressure to secure state and federal funding for the tech center. And it’s fair for county officials to point to Topeka on this fiscal matter generally: If the state hadn’t balanced its budgets early in the decade by breaking its revenue-sharing commitments, local officials wouldn’t be so strapped for cash now.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
On its face, Sedgwick County’s proposed 2007 budget does not look easy to cut, with its vital commitments to jail expansion, public safety, the aviation technical training center and low airfares. A tax increase would seem to be coming, if not this year, then next. But county commissioners are right to try to avoid the 12.2 percent property-tax hike that County Manager Bill Buchanan proposed Wednesday. That’s a lot for property owners to bear — especially business owners, and especially in light of the recent increases related to rising appraisals. For commissioners, the hard part will be to pare the budget further without breaking trust and shirking responsibilities. The situation also raises the pressure to secure state and federal funding for the tech center. And it’s fair for county officials to point to Topeka on this fiscal matter generally: If the state hadn’t balanced its budgets early in the decade by breaking its revenue-sharing commitments, local officials wouldn’t be so strapped for cash now.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
It’s wonderful news that the University of Kansas plans to expand its Wichita presence with a pharmacy school, starting with 20 students a year. This builds on the success of the KU School of Medicine-Wichita, as it enhances Wichita’s growing status as a health care hub for the western half of Kansas and creates another local pool of skilled candidates for well-paying jobs. And even as telemedicine and other kinds of technology ease health care staffing problems in rural areas, Kansas will continue to have a demand for pharmacists, especially as the population ages. Here’s hoping the $4 million needed for the Wichita pharmacy school can be found, either through private sources or the state.
Posted by Rhonda Holman