In his "analysis" of Tuesday’s GOP presidential debate, Jon Stewart on Comedy Central’s "The Daily Show" noted that none of the 10 candidates spoke up when asked whether gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the U.S. military. Not one — despite the current recruitment challenges, a 2006 Pew Research Center pollindicating that 60 percent of Americans support the idea, and a report last month that Britain has had no significant problems since accepting gays in its military in 2000.
"But who needs gay when you’ve got God?" Stewart said, introducing a montage of debaters’ references to God including one from Kansas’ Sam Brownback: "There’s a God of the universe that loves us very much."
"As a friend," Stewart added.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Big surprise: Vice President Dick Cheney was a key figure behind the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program, the Washington Post reported. Cheney met with Justice Department officials in March 2004 and told them that he disagreed with their legal objections to the program, according to congressional testimony submitted this week by former Deputy Attorney General James Comey. The next day, White House counsel Alberto Gonzales and Chief of Staff Andrew Card were dispatched to the hospital bed of Attorney General John Ashcroft to try to convince him to reauthorize the program; Ashcroft refused.
Comey said that eight Justice Department officials, including FBI Director Robert Mueller, were prepared to quit if the White House did not back down, which it eventually did. But he said that Cheney’s office later blocked the promotion of a senior Justice Department lawyer because he raised concerns about the program.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Some conservative Republicans are mad at President Bush and some of his top officials for suggesting that opponents of his immigration bill are unpatriotic. "Why would they speak so insultingly, with such hostility, of opponents who are concerned citizens?" wrote Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal. It’s understandable that these conservatives are upset. But maybe now they can appreciate why Americans who have concerns about the war on terror also don’t appreciate having their patriotism questioned.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The health insurance industry and Congress had better brace themselves: Michael Moore’s "Sicko" movie is coming out later this month. It may end up being over the top and a bit misleading at times — like his other films, many would say — but the trailer is pretty funny.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
One of the biggest yet often overlooked problems with immigration is that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is in the dark ages. The agency, which has the enormous task of processing immigration applications, is understaffed and still largely operating through a paper-based filing system, the Washington Post reported. As a result, the agency had a backlog of 1.1 million applications last summer.
Starting with the 1986 amnesty legislation, the agency began using application fees to finance its budget. But the concept has snowballed, and immigrants are forced to continue paying different kinds of fees while their applications are delayed because of the labyrinthlike filing system. If the new immigration plan passes Congress, the backlog and delays will get much worse.
Posted by Andie Clum
Cancer survivor and state Sen. Barbara Allen, R-Overland Park, successfully lobbied her Statehouse colleagues this spring on the need for a state license plate to support breast cancer research and awareness. The "Driven to Cure" plates, which will cost $50 annually on top of regular registration fees, can be had starting Jan. 1. But first, at least 500 people must sign up for the specialty plate, which features a sunflower wrapped in the cause’s signature pink ribbon. One compelling argument for the program was that it could help the University of Kansas Cancer Center gain National Cancer Institute designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. At least 25 other states have breast cancer plates. Kansas also offers specialty plates to support seven public universities and causes such as K-12 agricultural education and preventing child abuse. Stuck in traffic, it’s always nice to see other drivers wearing their hearts on their plates and, in the process, supporting worthy causes.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
