This is hardly surprising, especially after he received Operation Rescue’s man of the year award: Outgoing Attorney General Phill Kline filed 11th-hour criminal charges Friday in Sedgwick County against abortion clinic doctor George Tiller, whose attorney, Dan Monnat, called the filing "the last gasp of a defeated and discredited politician."
The misdemeanor charges accuse Tiller of improperly finding that multiple patients’ mental health would be seriously harmed if they did not have abortions, and of not properly reporting some late-term abortions to the state — a charge that Monnat described as "hypertechnical."
Now we’ll see whether Kline, after years of legal haggling and expense, has anything significant that will stand up in court.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
UPDATE: District Judge Paul Clark has dismissed all the charges against Tiller. Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston requested the dismissal noting that Kline doesn’t have legal authority to unilaterally pursue criminal charges.
Walt Chappell’s contention that votes were miscounted in his race against state Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, never seemed very credible. But the good thing about his requested recount was that it tested the accuracy of Sedgwick County’s new electronic voting machines. The recount showed that the votes were accurately counted, which is reassuring to voters, especially given voting machine problems in other states — such as the almost 18,400 people in Sarasota, Fla., who apparently didn’t get their votes recorded in a hotly contested congressional race. The recount also proved the wisdom of Election Commissioner Bill Gale’s decision to purchase machines that produced a printed audit tape.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Can a Republican win the White House without winning over the conservative base? That is the big cloud over former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s high poll numbers for 2008. His multiple marriages and support for abortion rights, gun control and same-sex domestic partnerships are just too much for many. “It’s an insult to the pro-Christian agenda. . . . He’s going to spend a lot of money finding he can’t get out of the Republican primaries,” said Rick Scarborough, a Southern Baptist minister and president of Vision America.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
It sounds like a joke, but it isn’t. A California company that helped build the border fence in San Diego was busted last week for, you guessed it, knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. Golden State Fence Co. and two executives pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a combined penalty of $5 million.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The following satirical headlines come from borowitzreport.com:
BRAWL ERUPTS AT REINDEER GAMES; Rudolph Suspended for Season
LOU DOBBS WARNS SANTA NOT TO CROSS U.S. BORDER; Anchor Attacks Foreign-made Items in Claus’ Sack
BUSH CALLS IRAQ MAIN FRONT IN WAR ON GAY MARRIAGE; Accuses Iran, Syria of Sending Wedding Planners Over Border
KERRY REVEALS THAT 2004 CAMPAIGN WAS BOTCHED JOKE; Will Skip ‘08 to Focus on Comedy Career
PRESIDENT OF IRAN DENIES THAT HOLOCAUST DENIAL CONFERENCE EVER HAPPENED; Holds New Conference of Holocaust Denial Deniers
BUSH REFUSES TO SET TIMETABLE FOR READING STUDY GROUP REPORT; Finishing Report Would Send ‘Wrong Message’ to Enemies, President Says
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
