Daily Archives: Nov. 28, 2007

Ron Paul supporters tired of intrusive government

Nov. 28, 200712:45 p.m.

PaulronI’ve been seeing quite a few campaign signs at Wichita intersections for Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning GOP presidential candidate who has been setting Internet fundraising records. Though his campaign is still a long shot, it’s clear that there are a sizable number of citizens who, as the Washington Post described them, “are increasingly disillusioned with the two major political parties’ soft consensus on making government ever more intrusive at all levels, whether it’s listening to phone calls without a warrant, imposing fines of half a million dollars for broadcast ‘obscenities’ or jailing grandmothers for buying prescribed marijuana from legal dispensaries.”
What would Paul think of Wichita’s efforts to force sexually oriented businesses to relocate?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Presidential race | Comments (57)

Powered by Google

Nov. 28, 200712:42 p.m.

GoogleThe ever-ambitious Internet mammoth Google has its sights set on the development of renewable energies. The company says it’s tired of its own hypocrisy and wants to invest in the energies so that it will have options in the years to come. It hopes to produce a gigawatt of renewable energy, cheaper than coal, to power its facilities, which are now running on traditional energy.
Some worry that the company is spreading itself too thin. But maybe it can’t afford not to make this investment now.
Posted by Kristin Mehler

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Business | Comments (17)

Open thread 11/28

Nov. 28, 20071:05 a.m.

Thread

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Open thread | Comments (62)

Science is based on faith, too

Nov. 28, 20071:04 a.m.

EvolutionPaul Davies, a physicist and professor at Arizona State University, isn’t anti-evolution or pro-intelligent design. But he argues in a New York Times commentary that both religion and science are based on faith. In science’s case, he says, it “proceeds on the assumption that nature is ordered in a rational and intelligible way” — an assumption he says that so far “has been justified.” For example, he argues that physicists “have faith that the universe is governed by dependable, immutable, absolute, universal, mathematical laws of an unspecified origin.” He contends that both “monotheistic religion and orthodox science fail to provide a complete account of physical existence,” and that “until science comes up with a testable theory of the laws of the universe, its claim to be free of faith is manifestly bogus.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Science | Comments (163)

CURB correct to question independence

Nov. 28, 20071:03 a.m.

TurbineThe Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board does not oppose the development of wind energy in Kansas. Nor is it accusing Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of wrongdoing.
But it is correct in wanting to make sure that utility regulators are independent after obtaining an e-mail in which a former Westar executive said that Sebelius told utilities that they would be “fully compensated” if they developed wind power.
Sebelius spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran denies that the governor issued any promise other than to generally agree that “electric utilities need to be compensated for costs of energy they develop.” And the governor’s office said in a statement that Sebelius never advised the KCC on how it should set rates or what rates should be.
But CURB wants assurances that the KCC will be independent on Westar’s rate hike request, which CURB doesn’t think is justified.
Posted by Randy Scholfield

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Kansas government | Comments (9)

Hillary vs. the Pied Piper of Women

Nov. 28, 20071:02 a.m.

Oprah_obamaTo those who doubt Oprah Winfrey’s potential impact as a campaigner for Barack Obama, Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson points out what the television guru did for Leo Tolstoy’s century-old “Anna Karenina.” Its addition to Oprah’s Book Club instantly bumped the book, and others like it, to best-seller status.
Early polls by the Pew Research Center predict that Winfrey’s support of Obama won’t make that much of a splash. Still, she has millions of faithful viewers, mostly women, who have spent millions of dollars to read what she recommends.
Posted by Kristin Mehler

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Presidential race | Comments (12)

Face reality: Certain dog breeds are high risk

Nov. 28, 20071:01 a.m.

PitbullThe Wichita City Council — at the urging of some dog groups and owners — has resisted breed-specific dog laws. It’s not the breed, it’s the owner or the particular dog, the advocates say. But after yet another person was mauled by what was considered a friendly pit bull — this time, a 1-year-old boy who had his scalp torn off last week by a pit bull-boxer mix — it is tough not to conclude that certain breeds are high risk and justify stricter regulations.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Wichita government | Comments (246)