Daily Archives: May 6, 2008

Loving on love and marriage

May 6, 200812:55 p.m.

lovingmildred.jpgMildred Loving died last week. She and her late husband, Richard, were at the center of a 1967 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down laws forbidding interracial marriage in some 17 states.
Last year, on the 40th anniversary of the decision, she reflected eloquently on the case. An excerpt:
“My generation was bitterly divided over something that should have been so clear and right. The majority believed that what the judge said, that it was God’s plan to keep people apart, and that government should discriminate against people in love. But I have lived long enough now to see big changes. The older generation’s fears and prejudices have given way, and today’s young people realize that if someone loves someone they have a right to marry.
“Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don’t think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the ‘wrong kind of person’ for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights.
“I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.”

By Randy Scholfield | Filed under Supreme Court | Comments (170)

Clinton the working-class hero

May 6, 200812:53 p.m.

clintongassign.jpg“Whatever the results of the primaries on Tuesday in Indiana and North Carolina, Mrs. Clinton has accomplished the seemingly impossible in those states,” the New York Times reported. “Somehow, a woman who has not regularly filled her own gasoline tank in well over a decade, who with her husband made $109 million in the last eight years and who vacations with Oscar de la Renta, has transformed herself into a working-class hero.” The article noted that one way Clinton has made this transformation is by not talking about her own biography, which includes growing up in an affluent Chicago suburb and attending prestigious schools.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Presidential race | Comments (46)

Asked not to serve

May 6, 20086:05 a.m.

bushgreensIt’s good that President Bush asked the graduating seniors of Greensburg High School to consider public service. According to a recent poll, American youths are willing to serve — if someone asks them.

A Gallup survey showed that about one-third of young Americans ages 18 to 29 would give a “great deal of consideration” to national service if asked by a parent, teacher, or the next president. Unfortunately, most of them — 60 percent — had never been asked.
For his part, President Bush is best known for asking Americans to go shopping.
The next president has a great opportunity to harness the energy and idealism of young people, as John F. Kennedy did in the early 1960s. They’re waiting for the call.

By Randy Scholfield | Filed under American life | Comments (76)

Open thread 5/6

May 6, 20086:04 a.m.

thread

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Open thread | Comments (312)

Clinton’s overkill on Iran

May 6, 20086:01 a.m.

iranmissileSen. Hillary Clinton’s vow to “obliterate” Iran if that country uses nuclear weapons against Israel ignores a key point, according to MSNBC: Israel has the sixth-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons on the planet. It’s capable of obliterating Iran itself, even after a first strike — something Iran understands perfectly well.

By Randy Scholfield | Filed under Presidential race | Comments (106)

$5 Riverfest button still a bargain

May 6, 20086:00 a.m.

Some will grumble about the Wichita River Festival’s increasing reliance on gates at its top events — its latest effort to get festivalgoers to buy the $5 buttons that help fund the $2.7 million festival. Then there is the extra $10 admission charge to hear hot pop singer Colbie Caillat give the 2008 festival’s first concert Friday at the West Bank Stage. Would it be better if the festival could forgo the gates and even forget about buttons? Sure. But throwing this megaparty isn’t getting any less expensive, as corporate sponsorships become harder to find in uncertain economic times. The $5 price has been in place for three festivals (and the button price has risen only three times in 37 years). The two-thirds of festivalgoers who failed to buy buttons last year left planners with little choice. And especially if someone takes in several events, a $5 button remains an excellent value.

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Wichita events | Comments (13)