Most of the debate — or at least rhetoric — about U.S. troop levels in Iraq has been about when to reduce them. But two leading conservatives are arguing for the opposite — that troop levels are too low to do the job.
“The bottom line is this: More U.S. troops in Iraq would improve our chances of winning a decisive battle at a decisive moment,” William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, and Rich Lowry, editor of National Review, wrote in a Washington Post commentary. “This means the ability to succeed in Iraq is, to some significant degree, within our control. The president should therefore order a substantial surge in overall troop levels in Iraq, with the additional forces focused on securing Baghdad.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Archbishop Joseph Naumann (in photo) of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas wrote a commentary criticizing Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ veto last session of a bill that would have imposed more reporting requirements on late-term abortions. His complaint was mostly about Sebelius’ veto message, in which she wrote: “My Catholic faith teaches me that life is sacred. Personally, I believe abortion is wrong.” Naumann said that Sebelius has consistently supported abortion rights, which the Catholic Church opposes.
“In my responsibilities as archbishop, I have an obligation to make certain that Catholics understand clearly the doctrinal and moral teachings of the church,” he wrote. And he urged “all Kansas Catholics to pray for Gov. Sebelius that she might reconsider her long held position supporting legalized abortion.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
There is nothing like a perceived budding romance to take our minds off war, strife and terrorists. And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice makes a good heroine in creating a fairy tale, as does her supposed suitor — the good-looking foreign minister of Canada, Peter MacKay. The two sat side by side during a working dinner Monday in Nova Scotia, which got bored reporters gossiping. But as a State Department spokesman noted, there also were 14 aides and six security guards at the dinner and no candles: “It was a well-lighted dinner, with electricity-based lighting.”
Posted by Angie Holladay
The Washington Post did a tongue-in-cheek comparison of President Bush and former presidents James Buchanan, Franklin Pierce (in photo) and Warren G. Harding — regarded by historians as our nation’s worst presidents. Some of the criticisms of the past presidents may sound contemporary. For example, one historian complained about Pierce acting unilaterally, noting that “the incompetence of his administration (has not stopped) it from vigorously defending the president’s sole authority to control the execution of the law.” And H.L. Mencken said this about Harding’s mangling of the English language: “It reminds me of stale bean soup, of college yells, of dogs barking idiotically through endless nights.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Students in El Dorado middle and high schools this year will face a new educational challenge: learning how to pee in a cup. This puts a new spin on “stand and deliver.”
Under the new policy, the district will ask most middle and high school students to undergo alcohol and drug testing at some point during the year. District officials say it will ensure that kids have the best possible learning atmosphere. But as we argued in a recent editorial, is making schools more like prisons conducive to learning?
Random testing is demeaning and invasive, in that it sends the message that students are presumed guilty rather than innocent. And random drug testing may not be an effective deterrent. Two major studies found that testing had no significant statistical effect on the level of student drug use.
Besides, this bad policy targets the active, involved kids who are least likely to be involved in drugs. Why should good kids have to pee in a cup to join the chess club?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The following satirical headlines come from the Web site borowitzreport.com:
BUSH VOWS TO GOOGLE BIN LADEN; Enlists World’s Most Powerful Search Engine in Hunt for Madman
ANN COULTER URGES USING NUKES IN WAR ON OBESITY; ‘We Must Take the Battle to the Lard-asses,’ Says Pundit
SCIENTISTS SAY KNICKS ARE NO LONGER A BASKETBALL TEAM; Prague Conference Demotes New York Team to Dwarf Status
BUSH TRANSFERS DETAINEES FROM CIA TO DMV; Will Wait on Line Until They Talk, President Says
NEW MADMAN MAKES DEBUT AS ANCHOR OF AL-JAZEERA EVENING NEWS; Competition Heats Up for Global Extremist Viewers
CHILD, 11, LEFT BEHIND; Sign That President’s ‘No Child Left Behind’ Law May Not Be Working, Critics Say
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Maybe you’ve noticed the gentle air dance of the monarchs as they pass over our Kansas fields in their migration toward the Southern Hemisphere. To many of us, they herald more than just a change in the seasons.
Musicians and music lovers hereabouts feel the cool September mornings, see the waving golden sunflowers in full bloom and watch those elegant little monarch dancers and think: "Winfield!"
Today through Sunday marks the 35th annual Walnut Valley Festival, this year billed as the "Walnut Valley Reunion." The four main stages, two campground stages and an almost infinite number of informal campfire stages will host some of the best that the acoustic music world has to offer. Headliners include Tommy Emmanuel, Tim O’Brien, John McCutcheon, Tom Chapin and Byron Berline. Between the music, crafts, food and frivolity, it’s all great family fun and well worth your time, should you choose to take a scenic Kansas drive down to sleepy little Winfield at some point over the next few days.
Whether you’re reuniting with old friends or with your own inner musician, the Walnut Valley Reunion might be just the thing to lighten your heart all the way up to the monarch level. Dancing isn’t just for butterflies, you know. See you at Winfield.
Posted by Richard Crowson
