Hopefully, Leonard Pitts won’t receive any death threats for his column in today’s Eagle (see blog item below). It raises an issue similar to that of the blog itemRandy did last week on how liberals are calling themselves "progressives" because it has less baggage. Pitts cites a report released this month, aptly called "The Progressive Majority: Why a Conservative America Is a Myth," that argues that opinion polls show that most Americans lean liberal. For example, 62 percent oppose overturning Roe, 61 percent support stem cell research and 60 percent want more gun control. "By what trick, con job or bamboozlement," Pitts wondered, "does a nation that supports gun control, abortion rights and stem cell research believe itself to be conservative?"
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
An Eagle article on the recent rains points to the bonanza for municipalities such as Wichita that depend for a share of their water on the Equus Beds, where water levels have risen 5 feet since January. That translates to 21 billion gallons of water, or about a year’s supply, according to Wichita water director David Warren.
But WE Blogger Jerry Winkelman thinks that the article "gives the false impression that all aquifers in Kansas are being recharged. Rains, even those we have had this summer, do not recharge or raise the level of the Ogallala Aquifer, which underlies most of western Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas."
Posted by Randy Scholfield
I honestly hadn’t thought of the "when pigs fly" angle when I drew this caption contest toon, but several of you out there did. I like it when we’re surprised like that by readers’ creativity. The winning entry came from Jim Holler of Bentley. Jim’s won several times and might be our champion multiple winner by now. Here are a couple of the variations on the winged pig theme: From Donald Ramsey of Colwich came the caption, "We’ll fly to D. C. for the inauguration, Senator." Karen Wallace of Wichita sent "His chances? I’ll let you know when I feel wings sprouting." Going in a different direction was Tom McElroy, who submitted "I think they should put up a wall and secure the border." Carmen Churchman of Wichita sent in "He is so far behind, he thinks he’s leading the pack!" Then there was George Hanson’s caption: "You know, we lie in this stuff a while and we get brown backs too." From Casey Jones came "Even though he used to be a conscientious Senator from Kansas who morphed into a presidential candidate that ignores his Senatorial duties, I heard he still doesn’t believe in evolution." Belle Plaine’s Richard Julius was sort of on the same wavelength: ‘Sam already has a job he ignores!" Lastly, good old Bruce Cole took off another way entirely with "This guy needs less coffee. He’s waving at farm animals!"
Posted by Richard Crowson
There is still no good explanation of why Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., had President Bush help him raise $650,000 this month for Roberts’ unopposed 2008 re-election bid. While we wait to see whether some Kansas Democrat is willing and able to credibly challenge Roberts, consider this: In this month’s SurveyUSA poll of 600 Kansans, Roberts’ approval rate was 51 percent, compared with 65 percent for Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. (Sen. Sam Brownback’s approval rate was 50 percent.)
Posted by Rhonda Holman
In an editorial headlined “Why Protect Shady Gun Dealers?” the New York Times recently weighed in on the side of Mayor Michael Bloomberg against the “Tiahrt amendment,” the 2003 provision supported by Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, that has restricted release of gun-trace data: “The Tiahrt amendment hinders the ability of the police and localities to see how guns move through their communities, and to act against the relatively small handful of gun dealers responsible for selling a majority of the guns used in crime.”
The editorial concluded: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will oppose the Tiahrt amendment. Lawmakers in favor of preserving the absurd restrictions have a duty to explain why they are more interested in protecting rogue gun dealers than in protecting the public.”
And in a June 16 New York Times commentary, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said, “Congress can help save lives by killing this awful law.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts takes a lot of flak from Eagle readers who find his work too focused on race. To be sure, his columns invite debate. But nothing justifies the death threats he’s reportedly received on a national level since a column, published in The Eagle June 4, challenged white supremacists’ assertions that two white murders in Knoxville, Tenn., reflect a surge in black-on-white violence. When the editor of the white supremacist Web site that posted Pitts’ personal information was contacted by the Miami Herald, he said, “We have no intention of removing Mr. Pitts’ personal information. Frankly, if some loony took the info and killed him, I wouldn’t shed a tear. That also goes for your whole newsroom.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
