So it’s Obama-Biden ’08. With the choice, Barack Obama can be seen as going for experience, especially on foreign policy, and calculating that having a 35-year Senate veteran on the ticket won’t cancel out his “change” message. The highly respected Biden will be a formidable campaigner and debater for the fall and, if the Democrats win, a seasoned, pragmatic presence in the administration. He’s also one of the few members of Congress who is interesting and frank in interviews. Of course, Biden is prone to foot-in-mouth disease, such as that comment in 2006 about Obama being “clean,” and expect to hear more about that plagiarism incident two decades ago. Kansans feeling let down because Gov. Kathleen Sebelius didn’t get the nod can expect her to be high on the list of possible Cabinet members in an Obama White House. In any case, it’s nice to have this bracket of the veepstakes decided at last.
A small school district in Texas has become the first in the nation to approve teachers and staff carrying concealed firearms. Teachers with pistols — what a great learning environment for kids.
The policy change is intended to thwart school shootings, such as the one that occurred Thursday at a school in Tennessee.
But as a Dallas Morning News editorial argued, the district is courting disaster: “Injecting firearms into a school setting opens the door to tragic but avoidable accidents. And there are no certain safeguards to prevent an angry student — or teacher — from getting hold of a gun that was carried into the classroom.
“Parents depend on educators to provide a safe learning environment for their children. Allowing teachers to be armed and potentially dangerous is a frightening prospect.”
It wasn’t a surprise that the state’s casino review board selected the Mulvane site for a casino resort in Sumner County. Though the two sites near Wellington were also strong proposals, the Mulvane location, which would be operated by Harrah’s Entertainment, was projected to produce more revenue, which was part of the selection criteria. It’s unfortunate that the location choice has been so divisive, pitting Mulvane against Wellington and Mulvane residents against one another.
In my Friday column, I leap into the debate about a screaming, obscenity-laced confrontation between two debate coaches that ended up with one of them, assistant professor William Shanahan of Fort Hays State, dropping his pants, bending over and mooning his opponent with exposed underwear.
The shout-down happened at a tournament at Wichita State University earlier this year, and a video clip ended up on YouTube this month, where it quickly became a hit.
It seemed to me a pretty pathetic spectacle, and in keeping with the creeping lack of civility and restraint in our public discourse.
On Friday, Fort Hays State fired Shanahan over the incident. University president Edward Hammond said in a written statement, “Everyone has the right to freedom of speech, but these actions are not acceptable for someone who is representing our university.”
Shanahan told an interviewer: “Obviously it got out of control, but to be honest I thought I was in a safe house. I thought I was part of a community that handled its problems internally and that recognized the dangers of exposing ourselves — no pun intended — to the rest of the country. It is so difficult as a nonparticipant to understand what is going on in the debate round.”
Maybe that’s part of the problem?
So it’s Obama-Biden ’08. With the choice, Barack Obama can be seen as going for experience, especially on foreign policy, and calculating that having a 35-year Senate veteran on the ticket won’t cancel out his “change” message. The highly respected Biden will be a formidable campaigner and debater for the fall and, if the Democrats win, a seasoned, pragmatic presence in the administration. He’s also one of the few members of Congress who is interesting and frank in interviews. Of course, Biden is prone to foot-in-mouth disease, such as that comment in 2006 about Obama being “clean,” and expect to hear more about that plagiarism incident two decades ago. Kansans feeling let down because Gov. Kathleen Sebelius didn’t get the nod can expect her to be high on the list of possible Cabinet members in an Obama White House. In any case, it’s nice to have this bracket of the veepstakes decided at last.
