Our Monday editorial praised Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ announced intention in her second term to more boldly promote renewable energy, especially wind power.
Kansas remains one of the top-rated states for wind potential — and one of the slowest to seize the economic opportunity.
A new electric transmission authority approved last year for western Kansas could help, but Kansas really needs a state Renewable Portfolio Standard, which commits utilities to using a certain percentage of renewables by a certain date.
“That’s the missing piece,” noted Craig Volland of the Kansas Sierra Club.
Moreover, the debate is growing — including on this blog — over the proposed coal-fired power plants near Holcomb.
As we argued in the piece, Sebelius needs to address questions about the global-warming gases these plants will spew and whether the complex will reduce demand for renewables and put pressure on the Ogallala Aquifer.
Is Kansas going to be a leader in the fight against global warming, or one of the worst offenders?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Legislation introduced by lame-duck Sen. George Allen, R-Va., would allow conceal-carry in national parks. The thinking is that gun-owning Americans ought not be less able to defend themselves on a mountain trail than on a city street. In response, the New York Times opined: “If Americans want to feel safer in their national parks, the proper solution is to increase park funding, which has decayed steadily since the Bush administration took office.” Discuss.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The battle between science and religion is shaping up to be an all-out war. A number of scientists at a forum this month at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies issued a call to arms against religion.
“The world needs to wake up from its long nightmare of religious belief,” warned Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in physics. He added: “Anything that we scientists can do to weaken the hold of religion should be done and may in the end be our greatest contribution to civilization.”
The frustration of the scientists is understandable — especially by those of us who live in a state where science standards have been under siege. But their hostile, anti-religious rhetoric gives ammunition to fundamentalists who think science is anti-God.
Most Americans and most Christians are more in the middle, looking to science for the how and to religion for the why.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Columnist Robert Novak applauded Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and a few other lawmakers for bucking the GOP efforts to push through more pork spending while they still held the majority. But Novak isn’t optimistic that the new Democratic majority will do any better about controlling spending. He wrote: “It is highly unlikely that Sen. Robert C. Byrd, a legendary king of pork returning as Appropriations Committee chairman, will reverse the habits of a lifetime and listen to ordinary voters’ revulsion over excessive federal spending.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
California can seem like a whole other country in terms of its court system, but it’s interesting that the state Supreme Court ruled this week that federal law prevents those who run blogs and Web bulletin boards from being sued for the defamatory expressions made by others. “Subjecting Internet service providers and users to defamation liability would tend to chill online speech,” the unanimous court said, pointing to the federal Communications Decency Act, passed by Congress in 1966.
Meanwhile, in Kansas, the Legislature refuses to repeal the state’s Third World-style criminal defamation law, which carries fines and up to a year in jail.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
