As home to the Topeka church that has protested 250 military funerals in 42 states with repugnant signs such as "Thank God for IEDs," Kansas surely should have been the first state rather than the 33rd to put legal limits on those hurtful demonstrations. But at least such a limit is now law, with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ Thursday signing ceremony. "It’s unfortunate that this reprehensible practice has been exported to other states," Sebelius said. "It’s time that Kansas join the majority of states insulating families and loved ones from these hateful messages." The law, co-written by freshman state Rep. Raj Goyle, D-Wichita, is a relief for more than grieving military families — the Fred Phelps clan began its funeral protests in 1991, targeting families of those it thought to be homosexual.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
"I definitely think that there needs to be a discussion about what our exit strategy is and when we implement that exit strategy," Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said about debate in Congress about a timetable in Iraq, the Lawrence Journal-World reported. One of Sebelius’ concerns is how the war is straining the Kansas National Guard, which has about 1,000 personnel deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and along the U.S. Mexico border. "Our ability to respond in an effective manner to floods, tornadoes, hailstorms, moving our citizens to safety and security, is really compromised," she said. "Clearly it’s a huge homeland security concern."
And, Sebelius observed: "The sort of never-ending story with additional troops being sent on a regular basis, additional guardsmen and women, additional equipment, does not seem to be working very well."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Amazing how not even the long-awaited news that Larry Birkhead is the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby could interrupt the media uproar over Don Imus’ racial slur about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. On Wednesday, MSNBC ended its simulcast of his radio show. On Thursday, CBS ended that radio show. Still, Imus raised $1.3 million Thursday during his radio-only fundraiser on behalf of children’s and SIDS charities, including his Imus Ranch for kids with cancer. Somebody out there must think his serial apologies are sufficient penance.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
President Bush promised another veto of the latest embryonic stem-cell bill, which passed the Senate Wednesday with a majority just shy of veto-proof and without the support of Kansas Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts. The Senate, with both Kansans’ votes, also approved legislation promoting research using adult stem cells; Brownback, who had warned colleagues that “embryonic stem cells are forming tumors,” touted the adult stem-cell bill by showing posters of beneficiaries of such treatments, including a Parkinson’s sufferer who, on safari, “scrambled up a tree to avoid being run over by a rhino.”
But as states pursue their own publicly funded embryonic stem-cell research, shouldn’t the federal government exercise some oversight and coordination? And as opponents overlook the 61 percent public support for this research, they never sufficiently explain why it’s preferable to see unused embryos destroyed than see them serve potentially lifesaving cures.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Should the leftward pendulum swing in Kansas produce a competitive Democratic challenger to Republican Sen. Pat Roberts next year, it looks like he’ll be ready — with more than $1.2 million in campaign money, $628,300 of it raised during the first quarter of this year. Roberts isn’t considered vulnerable in his bid for a third term, despite the harsh criticism he received for seemingly doing the White House’s bidding while he chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee, but he’s reportedly wary of the potential for ads funded by liberal outsiders. “The outside groups could dump in money for attack ads, which has been more and more the modus operandi today in politics, which I think is most unfortunate,” Roberts told Associated Press. Any Democrat who beat Roberts would be Kansas’ first Democratic senator since the 1930s.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Good for Sedgwick County commissioners for heeding community criticism of a proposed parking fee at the Kansas Coliseum and finding another way to raise revenue. Coming on top of the property-tax hike, arena sales tax and jail fee plan, the parking fee seemed like overload that could end up hurting bookings and attendance. The alternative — tripling the 50-cent facility fee on each Select-A-Seat ticket to $1.50 starting May 1 — is nothing to cheer. But with national services such as Ticketmaster charging $10-$20 in fees per ticket, the fee hike seems reasonable.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
