Forget the crack of bats — the crackle of gunfire might be coming to a Little League ballpark near you, thanks to state lawmakers.
A bill approved in the Legislature forbids cities and counties from outlawing concealed guns at public parks. That includes many outdoor youth sport venues such as ballparks and soccer and football fields.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius hasn’t said whether she will sign the bill. State Rep. Candy Ruff, D-Leavenworth, a concealed-carry proponent, dismissed criticisms: "People just need to get over this."
But given the long history of parental brawls and bad behavior at youth sporting events, is throwing guns into the mix a good idea? Does this really make most people feel safer?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
In less than a week, two of the state’s three largest universities have lost their head basketball coaches. But Mark Turgeon’s decision Monday to leave Wichita State University for Texas A&M is easier to take than Bob Huggins’ departure from K-State for West Virginia — even though Turgeon will be missed more. Turgeon spent seven seasons at WSU, while Huggins was at K-State only one year. So WSU fans can appreciate how much time and effort Turgeon spent rebuilding the Shocker program. And because Turgeon is a nice person, it is difficult not to be glad for him. The same can’t be said for Huggins.
On a side note, we tried to imagine during our editorial board meeting today an English or history professor getting a front-page spread in The Eagle if he or she left for another job. Of course, English professors also don’t do Spangles commercials.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Tens of thousands of Iraqis marched Monday on the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. The good news is that such a protest never would have occurred under Saddam Hussein. “This is the right to assemble, the right to free speech — they didn’t have that under the former regime,” Col. Steven Boylan said. The bad news is that the protests were directed at us, as demonstrators ripped and stomped on the U.S. flag and demanded an end to our occupation. Of course, if they would stop killing one another and harboring terrorists, and would reach a political agreement among religious sects, it would make it a lot easier for us to leave.
Posted by Ross Stewart
First, campaigning in rural New Hampshire, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said he had “been a hunter pretty much all of my life” — which, his campaign later acknowledged, meant he’d hunted once each in his teens and his 50s. In Indianapolis, he said, “I’ve always been a rodent and rabbit hunter. Small varmints, if you will. I began when I was 15 or so, and I have hunted those kinds of varmints since then. More than two times.”
Will the fond talk of varmint hunting, and a National Rifle Association membership less than a year old, satisfy the GOP’s die-hard Second Amendment sector, especially with Romney having supported gun control as Massachusetts governor?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Those annoying political “robocalls” will have to say who is paying for the call. But that needed change is where state lawmakers left campaign reform when they left Topeka last week. And in passing the robocall bill, legislators also eased restrictions on political fundraising during the legislative session — something both Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and former Attorney General Phill Kline had been fined for doing but hardly the worst problem with Kansas’ outdated campaign finance law. So unless there’s a rethinking during the wrap-up session later this month, the Legislature plans to do nothing about the shadowy groups that sponsor “issue advocacy” attack ads, the black hole of nondisclosure of campaign contributions in the final 11 days before an election, and other areas in need of improvement. What a disappointment. Again.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
I’m not sure that Newt Gingrich has any influence with the Bush administration — or even much within the Republican Party. But his call for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign certainly doesn’t help the administration.
“This is the most mishandled, artificial, self-created mess that I can remember in the years . . . I’ve been active in public life,” Gingrich said on “Fox News Sunday” about the U.S. attorney firings. When asked if Gonzales should resign, Gingrich said the country “would be much better served to have a new team at the Justice Department, across the board.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee