Gangs and drugs so terrorize some parts of Wichita that many people will shrug off the article in Tuesday’s Eagle about the apparent local use of the USA Patriot Act — which is supposed to target terrorism — to do a secret search of the house of a man accused of being a cocaine supplier to the Crips gang, a search that happened 90 days before the man was notified of it. To obtain the search warrant, authorities said the secret search would protect evidence and prevent suspects from fleeing or intimidating witnesses. The courts will sort out whether the evidence was legally obtained in this case. But such use of the Patriot Act certainly raises questions, including about whether it reflects Congress’ intent in passing the law post-Sept. 11. In a 2005 Eagle commentary, U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren assured the public that the Patriot Act “has been used to disrupt terrorist cells and espionage, as well as assist in solving horrific domestic crimes.†Does this alleged criminal activity count?
Hillary Clinton now calls her story about dodging sniper bullets in Bosnia a “misstatement.†But let’s call it what it is — a whopper.
Clinton said last week, “I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.â€
That’s a pretty vivid memory and effective story, if you want to prove your commander-in-chief mettle. The only problem is, it’s false.
CBS and other video footage from the time shows Clinton walking normally off the plane with her daughter, Chelsea, smiling and shaking hands with dignitaries and an 8-year-old child.
War is hell? Never mind.
This wasn’t just a slip of the tongue. Clinton has told the story several times on the stump to buttress a central claim she’s been making — that she has more foreign policy experience than Barack Obama.
Instead, the exposed fib supports those who argue that Clinton exaggerates her credentials and experience.
John McCain is mostly getting a free pass on his positions and misstatements (Iran is training al-Qaida?) while the Democrats engage in the usual circular firing squad. As the editors of the New Republic observe, “Democrats are spending millions of dollars bludgeoning one another in ways that can’t help but abet McCain — while McCain does a neat job of consolidating his base and building good will with the rest of the electorate.â€
In response to last week’s coverage of the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, former Eagle editor Davis Merritt has a commentary in today’s Opinion pages arguing that the news media share blame for the Iraq mess. He wrote:
“In the media universe that is obligated to challenge every facile government assertion and official pronouncement, only Knight Ridder’s Washington bureau did so. Its reporters looked behind the evidence about weapons of mass destruction and the administration’s claim about direct links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida, and found serious questions.
“But they could not reach enough people. So, in substantial part because of journalistic failure to question authority, we slid into an ill-conceived and badly executed adventure.â€
When Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed two bills last week before vetoing the energy bill, it brought the signed bills for the session to a grand total of nine. That compares with 17 signed bills last year at about the same time and 24 in 2006. One of those signed last week at least served the fine cause of designating parts of seven highways to honor veterans of the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War II, Korean War, Persian Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. “These designations will remind all those who visit our state of the courage and sacrifice of our veterans,†Sebelius said in a statement.
Barack Obama often mentions how his mother was a white woman from Kansas. But a recent New York Times article provided more background on the woman who helped shape the candidate. The profile described Stanley Ann Dunham Soetoro (she was named after Obama’s grandfather from El Dorado) as idealistic but also exacting (she used to wake up Obama at 4 a.m. to work on a correspondence course). She was an anthropologist who championed women’s work and helped bring microcredit loans to the world’s poor before dying of ovarian cancer in 1995, the Times reported. “She gave us a very broad understanding of the world,†Obama’s half-sister said. “She hated bigotry. She was very determined to be remembered for a life of service and thought that service was really the true measure of a life.†Obama wrote of his mother, “I know that she was the kindest, most generous spirit I have ever known, and that what is best in me I owe to her.â€
Gangs and drugs so terrorize some parts of Wichita that many people will shrug off the article in Tuesday’s Eagle about the apparent local use of the USA Patriot Act — which is supposed to target terrorism — to do a secret search of the house of a man accused of being a cocaine supplier to the Crips gang, a search that happened 90 days before the man was notified of it. To obtain the search warrant, authorities said the secret search would protect evidence and prevent suspects from fleeing or intimidating witnesses. The courts will sort out whether the evidence was legally obtained in this case. But such use of the Patriot Act certainly raises questions, including about whether it reflects Congress’ intent in passing the law post-Sept. 11. In a 2005 Eagle commentary, U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren assured the public that the Patriot Act “has been used to disrupt terrorist cells and espionage, as well as assist in solving horrific domestic crimes.†Does this alleged criminal activity count?
