A new study points to strong evidence that the Southwest is in an extended drought akin to the Dust Bowl period, and that these drought conditions might be permanent, largely due to global warming, reports the Los Angeles Times in a lead story.
The implications for agriculture and cities in the Southwest are serious and staggering.
"There are going to be some tough decisions on how to allocate water," said Richard Seager, the lead scientist in the study. "Is it going to be the cities, or is it going to be agriculture?"
More evidence that warming is hitting close to home and can’t be ignored by Kansas policymakers.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
It’s understandable how former K-State basketball coach Bob Huggins was drawn to accepting his dream job of coaching at his alma mater, West Virginia University. "I don’t know how many years I have left, and this is the job I have always wanted," Huggins, 53, told the Manhattan Mercury. "I’ve always wanted to come home."
But bolting from K-State after just one year isn’t fair to the university, its fans or the players, especially the new recruits who signed letters of intent to attend KSU and play for Huggins.
Do K-State officials share blame by hiring Huggins, who didn’t exactly have an ethical reputation? Is this another example of what’s wrong with major college sports, which is no longer about students and academics but about entertainment and big money? Do you care?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Remember when all eyes were on the Iraq Study Group to point to the path out of Iraq? James Baker, former secretary of state and the group’s co-chairman, rightly notes in the Washington Post that “more than 100 days after the Iraq Study Group released its report, we are further than ever from a consensus” and urges leaders to take another look at the recommendations.
He concludes: “Moving forward this way, which would require compromise by both sides, would be far better than continuing a political dogfight that can only undermine U.S. foreign policy goals in Iraq and the Middle East.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Michael “Heckuva job” Brown was not qualified to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and it showed. But Brown was unfairly singled out for blame for FEMA’s inept response to Hurricane Katrina.
Brown spoke Wednesday at the Dole Institute at the University of Kansas. He said he tried to get the Bush administration to do a catastrophic disaster plan that included the possibility of a hurricane hitting New Orleans. But, he said, “the administration was so focused on terrorism and other stuff they turned a deaf ear.” He described Michael Chertoff, secretary of homeland security, as “clueless” — which had a pot-calling-the-kettle-black quality about it. He also admitted to lying to the public about how FEMA was responding to the hurricane, but blamed that on “White House talking points” and a fear that “people get fired for telling the truth.”
Of course, Brown got fired anyway.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Conservative Republicans saw their power undermined on more issues than gambling this legislative session. Democrats and moderate Republicans in the House also coalesced this week to block a misguided voter ID bill, which would have required those registering to vote to show proof of citizenship and those voting to show a photo ID. “The myth of voter fraud is exactly that — it’s a myth,” Rep. Raj Goyle, D-Wichita, correctly noted. But what isn’t a myth is that tough ID requirements would reduce voting by U.S. citizens.
Unfortunately, the bill also included language to allow all counties in the state to enjoy the convenience of advance satellite voting, something that’s proving popular in Sedgwick County. Maybe next year.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Asked by The Eagle editorial board this week about his top priorities in the new Congress, Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, mentioned his efforts to avert a Federal Aviation Administration plan to impose user fees on business jets and private pilots, and he predicted success. He and others have warned that raising the cost of flying will reduce plane sales — a terrible development for Wichita’s general-aviation manufacturers. “I think we’ve finally gotten the stake out and are about to drive it through user fees,” he said. That’s good news for Wichita’s economy.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Burning a flag is a constitutional right. But it can be a crime when the flag is mounted to a house, as three dumb Yale University students found out. The students were charged with arson, reckless endangerment and various other crimes when police on patrol passed the house after the students had lit the flag on fire. The students weren’t even trying to make a political statement. “It was a foolish college prank,” their attorney said.
Posted by Ross Stewart