In the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, a gun-control debate is inevitable, as was reflected in an Eagle news article today about whether students should be able to carry guns. But Americans likely won’t have the debate we need.
A Slate article points out that gun-control advocates and opponents in Congress have focused of late on an assault-weapons ban, which centers on largely cosmetic aspects of firearms and likely won’t do anything to reduce violent crime.
What was proposed after the Columbine massacre but never passed, and what is still needed, is a law closing the legal loophole that allows private individuals to sell guns at gun shows without performing background checks on buyers.
Federally licensed dealers selling at those same shows already perform such checks. So why not have private transactions also covered in the law? It’s not a cure-all to gun violence, but a universal background check would close one glaring loophole that gives criminals an easy outlet for acquiring firearms.
What do responsible gun owners have to fear from this idea?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Under Britain’s leadership, the 15-member United Nations Security Council this week for the first time addressed climate change as an international security issue.
"An unstable climate will exacerbate some of the core drivers of conflict — such as migratory pressures and competition for resources," said British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett.
Her concern was seconded this week by a blue-ribbon panel of retired U.S. military generals, whose study reinforced that climate change will be a "threat multiplier" abroad.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Democrats in Congress were nothing less than irate when allies of the Bush administration blocked a bill to require the disclosure of the CIA’s secret prisons and the amount of money spent by U.S. intelligence agencies. The bill also included a provision that required the White House to release within 30 days any intelligence document that Congress requested.
The White House said the provision would “foster political gamesmanship and elevate routine disagreements to the level of constitutional crises.”
But surely there’s nothing routine about our government possibly holding people in jails all over the world without the promise of speedy or fair trials.
Posted by Ross Stewart
Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback reacted to Don Imus’ racist remark by pointing to the Billboard rap chart. He gave ABC News song lists and lyrics for Mims’ “This Is Why I’m Hot,” Bow Wow and R. Kelly’s “I’m a Flirt,” Young Jeezy and R. Kelly’s “Go Getta,” Rich Boy’s “Throw Some D’s” and Unk’s “2 Step.” Brownback, who wants the artists’ labels to do to these tunes what CBS and MSNBC did to Imus, shouldn’t hold his breath waiting.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
What happened to New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was terrible. He’ll be recovering from his injuries for a long time. But there was no reason — including being on the way to last week’s meeting between Don Imus and the Rutgers women — for a N.J. state trooper to be driving the governor’s SUV at a reported 91 mph on the 65-mph-limit Garden State Parkway. Also stunning was that at such a speed, Corzine apparently wasn’t wearing his seat belt. What would prompt a public servant to act so recklessly?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
An Eagle article reported that the No Child Left Behind law requires school districts to pay for tutoring services for those low-income students who need help in math and reading, yet there are no standards set for tutoring services. The U.S. Education Department’s Web site says, “The law helps schools improve by focusing on accountability for results, freedom for states and communities, proven education methods, and choices for parents.”
But where is the accountability for results and proven education methods when there are no standards set for the tutoring services, which are racking up a $1 million bill for USD 259 taxpayers?
Posted by Patrice Hein
An Eagle article cited an announcement by the Corporation for National & Community Service that ranks Kansas fifth in the nation for volunteerism. This is just one more reason why Kansas is a great place to live: So many people are involved in their communities and are willing to lend a hand to help others succeed.
In light of all the recent news about self-serving government officials, self-centered celebrities, and downright mean shock jocks, isn’t it nice to know that most of our friends and neighbors are generous and compassionate?
Posted by Patrice Hein
Chip Ward, who recently retired as assistant director of the Salt Lake City Public Library, has a must-read piece about how America’s urban libraries have become de facto homeless shelters, with librarians expected to be social workers.
It’s a national shame.
He writes eloquently of the discarded and damaged men and women who seek shelter at the library, and of our society’s responsibility to help them. “When the mentally ill whom we have thrown onto the streets haunt our public places, their presence tells us something important about the state of our union, our national character, our priorities, and our capacity to care for one another,” he writes.
Posted by Randy Scholfield