"Even as gays have moved visibly into mainstream America, they hold a tenuous, complicated spot within the ranks of the GOP, whose earlier libertarian, live-and-let-live values have been ground down by the wedge issue of opposition to gay rights," the Washington Post reported. It noted that "many gay men are key aides to Republican legislators, powerful silent partners in winning elections by pledging allegiance to religious ‘values voters’ ever on the alert against ‘the homosexual agenda.’"
Gay conservative columnist Andrew Sullivan said GOP leadership is "tolerant of gay people but they have to keep quiet about it because their base would go crazy if they ever express it." He added, "They have this acute cognitive dissonance, which is a polite way of saying hypocrisy."
Meanwhile, the religious right is on the case. Tony Perkins (in photo), president of the Family Research Council, has been looking into whether gay GOP staffers have blocked anti-gay legislation.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Suicide bombings. Death squads. Kidnappings. Torture. Ethnic cleansing. Rogue militias. And surging violence that’s beyond the ability of the nation’s police and soldiers to control. What’s happening in Iraq today sounds increasingly like the sort of distant civil war that normally has relief groups and human rights watchers screaming for U.S. and other foreign intervention. Except in this case, the foreign forces already are there — and dying to get out. On Thursday’s Opinion pages, Clarence Page set up the likeliest scenario for an exit: The bipartisan Iraq Study Group, co-chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, will find a middle ground between "cut and run" and "stay the course" that gives the White House the political cover to change tactics, declare victory and get out.
Posted by
width=”100″ height=”140″ border=”0″ title=”Spaceweapons” alt=”Spaceweapons” src=”http://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/files/images/spaceweapons.jpg” /> Turns out the "Bush Doctrine" extends to outer space, too.
As reportedin the Washington Post, the president last month signed an order asserting the right of the United States to deny adversaries access to space for hostile purposes. At the same time, the order says the United States will accept no treaties limiting its own extraterrestrial activities.
While the order didn’t rouse much comment in the United States, it has raised some eyebrows — and ire — across the pond. As this story in the Independent notes, the order is being widely criticized as more of the pre-emptive swagger and unilateralism that has worked out so well in Iraq.
While it seems obvious that we want to prevent enemies from developing space-based weapons, was it really necessary, now, to issue a formal statement that America owns the skies?
Posted by Dave Knadler
What is going on with Russian President Vladimir Putin? In a conversation last week with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Putin said of Israeli President Moshe Katsav, an alleged rapist: "Greetings to your president. What a powerful man he turns out to be. He raped 10 women. I would never have expected this from him. He surprised us all. We all envy him." Putin’s spokesman later said it was a "joke in Russian that actually does not reflect the automatic translation into English." But it’s difficult to believe that rape is funny and fun in any language — just as it’s getting more difficult all the time to believe that Putin is the right guy to foster freedom in Russia.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Given the recent insistence by many Republicans that Kansas should require Senate confirmation of state Supreme Court justices, the process for choosing a justice to replace the retiring Justice Donald Allegrucci will be closely watched. The Supreme Court Nominating Commission will review applications and conduct interviews Nov. 6 and 7 with the 14 applicants, immediately offering the governor its three preferred names to choose from within 60 days. Three people with strong Wichita ties are on the list: Kansas Court of Appeals Judge Tom Malone, formerly a judge in Sedgwick County District Court; Wichita attorney Timothy Moore; and Sedgwick County District Judge Greg Waller. The best-known contender, of course, is Waller, whose deft handling of BTK serial killer Dennis Rader’s confessions is now the stuff of numerous real-crime shows about the case. It’s also notable that should Waller advance through the commission’s screening and prevail to be the governor’s pick, he would be the first African-American justice in the high court’s history.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
It’s great that Sedgwick County’s new aviation technical school is attracting significant financial support to help it get off the ground.
The center landed a $2 million federal Commerce Department grant last week to build the career development center at the campus, to be located at Jabara Airport.
And Thursday, Sedgwick County commissioners announced another $2 million check, this one from the state’s Workforce Solutions Fund. Add the $3 million already received from private industry and the feds, and the $7 million received so far is a promising start to fundraising for the $40 million campus, which will help satisfy the local aviation industry’s demand for thousands of new skilled workers in the coming decade.
Every grant reduces the local taxpayer burden of the school and is a vote of confidence in the center’s promise — and in Wichita’s future.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
