Daily Archives: March 11, 2007

Open thread

March 11, 20071:05 a.m.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Open thread | Comments (215)

Sebelius on Bush: What you see is what you get

March 11, 20071:04 a.m.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was among a group of governors who met recently with President Bush. There were no surprises on Iraq: Bush is committed to staying the course.
“There is no timetable, there is no adjusting this schedule. What you see on the television is what we see behind closed doors,” Sebelius told the Lawrence Journal-World.
“He is very determined that this has to work and convinced that it will work. We wish him Godspeed, but we could not get a very clear answer about what is the next game plan. No real willingness to engage in dialogue with other regions and other countries,” she said.
In other words, vintage Bush.
Posted by Randy Scholfield

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under President Bush | Comments (19)

Wichita vet says he was spit upon

March 11, 20071:03 a.m.

As we’ve mentioned here before, the online magazine Slate has had ongoing articles exploring whether the tales of Vietnam-era vets being spit upon were more urban myth than reality. Media critic Jack Shafer didn’t deny that such incidents might have occurred but maintained that no credible contemporary documentation of such events — news reports, crime reports, etc. — has ever been produced.
But Shafer’s most recent posting on the topic allows that some evidence has come forward: He found a 1971 CBS report on one Delmar Pickett Jr., a returning vet from Kansas who said he’d been spit at in the Seattle airport. Shafer got in touch with Pickett — now living in Wichita — who said the incident did happen, although his memory was a bit fuzzy on some details.
There seems to be credible evidence that at least some of these spitting incidents occurred, so they’re more than urban myth. That still doesn’t mean they were commonplace, as some people suggest.
Posted by Randy Scholfield

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Current Affairs | Comments (34)

Bad-mouthing habit has hurt Mayans

March 11, 20071:02 a.m.

My column on today’s Opinion pages notes how Wichita Mayor Carlos Mayans’ bad-mouthing and unsubstantiated allegations have cost him the trust and confidence of most of the City Council and many in the business community. Be sure to watch the accompanying video excerpts from The Eagle editorial board’s interview last month with Mayans. He accuses council members and the city manager of trading votes and city staff of being out to get him.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Wichita elections | Comments (35)

Calling 911 worked just fine in this case

March 11, 20071:01 a.m.

Several recent Opinion Line defenders of the concealed-carry law have scorned the value of calling 911, suggesting that everything would be over by the time police arrived.
But The Eagle this week had an article about two Wichita women who helped capture a burglary suspect by — yep — dialing 911. The women, who belong to a neighborhood watch group, saw a man snooping around a neighbor’s house and called the cops.
The suspect took off when police arrived and was captured shortly after.
“It was a perfect example of citizens working with police,” said an officer.
I have no problem with citizens defending their homes with guns, if necessary. But 911 can work pretty well, too.
Posted by Randy Scholfield

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Crime | Comments (35)

Does Marvel Comics hate freedom?

March 11, 20071:00 a.m.

Superheroes don’t die; they just don’t. And it’s almost sacrilegious for a super hero named after America to die. If you haven’t heard, Captain America is fatally shot in “Civil War,” a Marvel Comics-produced series.
I’m wondering if the Bush administration will try to use this as a distraction from the outcome of the Libby trial.
I can see Bush now: “America, please stop for a moment and consider what is going on in the world. Captain America is dead. How are you going to question me about my honesty and integrity, along with that of Vice President Cheney? We have no comment at this moment on the outcome of Mr. Libby’s trial but those writers over there — they obviously hate freedom. They are eradicating a symbol of it in comic book form. That’s an issue America needs to address, because if you’re not with us. . . .”
Posted by Ross Stewart

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under American life | Comments (9)