Thirteen years after the Mogadishu debacle that left 18 American soldiers dead, U.S. forces were back — this time dealing death from above.
An Air Force AC-130 Spectre gunship attacked suspected al-Qaida members near the border with Kenya. The result: many dead, including the now-ubiquitous “senior terrorist figure,” this one linked to the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
While the quagmire in Iraq — like the Battle of Mogadishu years earlier — demonstrates the limits of American military power, operations like this one demonstrate a key strength: drone-guided airborne attacks that keep stateless enemies on the defensive.
Posted by Dave Knadler
Oprah Winfrey upset some people when she said that she decided to build her new $40 million leadership academy in South Africa instead of the United States because the students there show a greater need and appreciation for education. But Clarence Page agrees with her in a column on our Opinion pages. “Having reported from South Africa at various times since the 1970s and as the parent of a black American teenager, I agree with Winfrey,” he wrote. “She’s not blaming the victims. Our kids don’t know anything except that which they are taught by parents, peers, teachers and other role models.”
Page also defended Oprah against the criticism that she could have educated more students if she hadn’t made her academy so lavish. “Why shouldn’t bright and promising future African leaders have a learning environment at least as nice as that enjoyed by the Ivy League elites who populate America’s leadership class?” he wrote.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Tough-on-crime state lawmakers might not like it, but the Wichita Police Department is wise to not file felony charges for most small possession drug cases. As an Eagle news article Sunday noted, the Police Department files misdemeanor charges in most cases in which the amount of drugs found is less than 0.25 grams, even though state law says that possession of any amount of cocaine or meth is a felony. Raising the felony threshold allows the Police Department to better use its resources, and it helps free up the District Court docket and jail space. Besides, the penalty for first-time offenders usually is probation, whether it’s a felony or a misdemeanor.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Using amniotic fluid as a source of stem cells is an encouraging prospect that could sidestep the moral objections many people have with embryonic stem cells. Researchers at Wake Forest University and Harvard University report that the stem cells from amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women offer some of the same flexibility prized in embryonic stem cells. However, because the researchers don’t know how effective and adaptable amniotic stem cells will be, they think there is still a need for embryonic stem-cell research. The finding also is unlikely to change the Democratic Congress’ plan to pass a bill — similar to the one vetoed last year by President Bush — to allow federal research on stem cells from embryos discarded by fertility clinics.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will present her agenda Wednesday night in her State of the State address. But new House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, has already announced the top priority of House Republicans: fiscal responsibility. One goal is to set aside some of the current revenue surplus to pay for the state’s three-year school funding plan. The House Republicans also want to eliminate the state’s corporate franchise tax. “It’s pretty clear to me that we have to do things to get more business growth,” Neufeld told the Topeka Capital-Journal. “It will be very simple. It’s called repeal.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
