There has been much speculation about whether the Iraq war has frayed the relationship between the presidents Bush. In a Texas Monthly interview, James Baker, the elder George Bush’s secretary of state, says that “the two men are extraordinarily close” and “there’s a lot of love.” Baker also says he does not remember ever thinking the younger George could be president. “We all thought it was going to be Jeb,” he says.
On policy, Baker expresses his wish that the current administration would be more hands-on in trying to resolve the Arab-Israeli situation. “We’re at the point now where we don’t talk to Syria. We don’t talk to Iran. We don’t talk to Hezbollah and Hamas because they’re terrorist organizations. When we did our work with Syria, they were on our list of state sponsors of terror. My point is, you don’t talk to your friends; you talk to your enemies.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
It’s too bad a proposed new Vietnam War memorial that honors America’s South Vietnamese allies in that conflict has led to controversy and hard feelings. Some local vets strongly object to the proposal in Veterans Memorial Park, arguing that the space should be reserved for American soldiers. These feelings, if they reflect the views of most vets, can’t help but carry a lot of weight. But Vietnamese-Americans have also spoken with depth of feeling about the need for a fitting memorial, which they were denied in their country. These aren’t just “foreigners” who would be honored — they are America’s Vietnamese friends and allies who fought and died alongside U.S. soldiers.
Many of these veterans and their families now live in Wichita as American citizens. They have become a significant segment of our population, and this memorial would be a symbol of their assimilation and acceptance in Wichita.
Isn’t there some common ground here? The Wichita park board should try to find a dignified compromise that brings citizens together to honor a shared sacrifice.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline told The Eagle editorial board Tuesday that he isn’t bothered by a leaked campaign memo that reveals his aggressive strategy for fundraising in churches. In the detailed memo, Kline instructs staff to “get the pastor to invite five ‘money people’ whom he knows can help.” And he says that on Sundays, he is “able to preach at several churches where service times are different” to maximize his political outreach.
“Get me in their pulpits,” Kline also writes about Wichita pastors Terry Fox and Joe Wright, whose fundraising is needed “to match Tiller’s blood money,” referring to local abortion provider George Tiller.
There’s no evidence Kline is violating any campaign laws about church-state boundaries in such activities. As Kline, who often speaks about his Christian faith, told the editorial board, “I’ve been talking to churches for years — this is nothing new.”
But the memo could hurt Kline by reinforcing some Kansans’ perception that he is too closely tied to religious conservatives’ social agenda.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
It’s not as if the state of Kansas is awash in extra cash. But Kansans who remember the awful budget shortfalls of the Bill Graves administration can be heartened by latest figures showing that revenues since the fiscal year began July 1 have exceeded projections by $17 million, or about 2.4 percent, totaling $745 million. And fiscal year 2006 ended with 1.5 percent more revenue than expected. Seeing the state in the black is a relief. But so far, Kansas is not among the states enjoying significant surpluses; 20 states have used them to cut income taxes.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Revisiting the tragic history of Sept. 11 brought us back to the reality of our immortality from unforeseen threats, but the likelihood of finding ourselves victims of a terrorist attack is very low.
Using the color-coded alert system developed by the Department of Homeland Security following the Sept. 11 attacks, Ryan Singel of Wired News pulled mortality data for 1995 through 2005 from a variety of sources. He then ranked the deaths according to greatest potential threat, based on the color-coded system.
Topping the “red zone” at 254,419 deaths was driving off the road. Another 59,730 deaths were from work-related causes, putting them in the “orange zone.” And 8,536 citizens died from accidental firing of a gun, listed in the “blue zone.” During this 10-year period, only 3,147 deaths were attributed to terrorism. This is the equivalent of the “green zone,” a threat level the country has never seen since Sept. 11.
Posted by Angie Holladay
Here’s the best update I’ve seen on the Sept. 11 hijackers, albeit imaginary:
“JAHANNEM, OUTER DARKNESS — The hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon expressed confusion and surprise Monday to find themselves in the lowest plane of Na’ar, Islam’s Hell.
‘I was promised I would spend eternity in Paradise, being fed honeyed cakes by 67 virgins in a tree-lined garden, if only I would fly the airplane into one of the Twin Towers,’ said Mohammed Atta, one of the hijackers of American Airlines Flight 11, between attempts to vomit up the wasps, hornets, and live coals infesting his stomach. ‘But instead, I am fed the boiling feces of traitors by malicious, laughing Ifrit. Is this to be my reward for destroying the enemies of my faith?’
“The rest of Atta’s words turned to raw-throated shrieks, as a tusked, asp-tongued demon burst his eyeballs and drank the fluid that ran down his face.” — From the Onion, Sept. 26, 2001.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Just how secretive is the Bush administration? The Secrecy Report Card 2006 issued by the coalition OpenTheGovernment.org found that the lid was slightly less tight in 2005 than in 2004. Last year, 14.2 million documents were deemed “top secret,” “secret” or “confidential,” compared with a record 15.6 million documents sealed in 2004; 29.5 million were declassified last year — the first increase in five years but far from the 75 million documents unsealed in 2000. Other finds about the administration’s secrets keeping: Of the Pentagon’s budget, 17 percent is for classified programs. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approved all 2,072 requests for secret surveillance orders last year, up 18 percent from 2004. Last year, the government issued more than 9,000 “national security letters,” which are used to obtain information about people without warrants or other external review.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
