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| Clinton win puts Beshear in tough spot Thu, 22 May 2008 02:04 EDT Primary election thoughts: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton did what the polls said she would do in Kentucky's presidential primary. She beat Sen. Barack Obama soundly. The margin might have exceeded some expectations, but that's explainable since the Clinton family became Kentucky residents for the better part of a week and spent considerable time chatting up their new Kentucky neighbors while Obama made just one quick visit to the state. But the thing is, if the national pundits have it right, nearly two-thirds of Kentucky Democrats voting in Tuesday's primary joined a losing cause by choosing Clinton. And that could pose a bit of a dilemma for Gov. Steve Beshear, who is one of the three Democratic superdelegates from Kentucky who have remained uncommitted throughout the primary campaign. (Jennifer Moore and Nathan Smith, the party's state chairwoman and vice chairman, are the other two.) |
| CHEERS and JEERS: Congrats are in order for candidates The candidates from Barren County performed well in the Democratic and Republican primaries on Tuesday. |
| Graduation sparks memories Tomorrow night, the seniors at Glasgow High School will file out of the gymnasium to the sounds of “Auld Lang Syne” while clutching that all-important diploma. |
| YOUR VIEWS: Legislators praised for not raising tax Being a smoker, I was recently very disappointed with the state’s budget process, at least until it was completed. |
| Americans may be more alike than we realize Mon, 26 May 2008 10:04:54 -0500 America, long bifurcated into the red and the blue, is increasingly variegated. We have Oregon greenies and Kentucky coal miners, white-collar Obama elites and Clinton’s blue-collar, hard-working Americans. At the multiplex, we’ll soon split between pink “Sex and the City” cosmopolitans and dusty khaki “Indiana Jones” adventurers. We’re perceived as a dysfunctional color wheel, a rainbow of disharmony. But perhaps we have more in common than not. Perhaps we’re more alike than we know, judging from how Americans can come together to aid in a disaster, share the same indignities in air travel, and wonder how it is that Paris Hilton is famous. For instance, no matter what Hillary Clinton says, most of us are hard-working Americans. Even those voters who don’t support her. We know that we drive too much. Most of the time, it’s not even fun. We know that because we drive too much, oil costs more, the Saudi royal family has too much money and power, the world is less clean, and we’re not in as good shape as we should be. We all believe our health-care system is broken. Our medical professionals, hospitals and research are the envy of the world, and the way we take care of our people, or don’t, is an abomination. We agree that the war in Iraq isn’t working, costs too much and is diverting our tax dollars from more important issues. We all want our children to be the best-educated in the world. Most of us disapprove of how George Bush is doing his job. We view Jan. 20, 2009, no matter what the election’s outcome, as a cause for celebration. We think that commercial flying has become an utterly horrendous experience and that, by comparison, riding on an old bus with worn shocks and packed with farm animals might be preferable, while guaranteeing a better on-time arrival. We believe - well, those of us not from New England - that there is some justice in the Patriots’ being deprived of a perfect season, even if the New York Giants had to do it, and that the New York Yankees have won altogether too many World Series rings. We agree that, after a century, it would be nice if the Chicago Cubs finally did and if, following three decades without one, Big Brown claimed the Triple Crown, even if the thoroughbred is named for a delivery company. We know cable costs too much. We realize we’re dumb for subscribing and, because we do, we’re not in as good shape as we should be. We understand that years from now, we’ll look back at the artistic wasteland that is reality television and wonder why we ever endured such rubbish. Despite this, we know that Ryan Seacrest will still be on television. We will share in our slack-jawed bewilderment. We appreciate that America has never had better food, yet we’ve never been in worse shape or consumed more sodium-laden or corn-syrup-drenched processed food, despite a universal desire to live longer and better. We want to be happy. We want to live longer and better. We want a better government and great leaders. We know that, while this primary season has been interminable, the process has allowed candidates to meet more voters. It’s made more voters matter, different issues be clarified and, all in all, has been good for democracy. We understand that we live in a rich country that has far too many people in poverty. Despite our differences, most Americans want the same thing: to live in a safe, healthy and thriving country with terrific opportunities, and leave this a better place for the generations to come. |
| Make city a leader in sustainability Sun, 25 May 2008 21:40:00 EST We were disappointed to read that our Metro Council voted against prohibiting plastic bags to collect yard waste. This was an amazing opportunity to move Louisville forward as a national leader in sustainable planning and living. Is there any good reason why we shouldn't be? |
| Old titans all collapsed Is the U.S. next to go? Sun, 25 May 2008 21:35:00 EST Back in August, during the panic over mortgages, Alan Greenspan offered reassurance to an anxious public. The current turmoil, the former Federal Reserve Board chairman said, strongly resembled brief financial scares such as the Russian debt crisis of 1998 or the U.S. stock market crash of 1987. Not to worry. |
| FEC needs to work Sun, 25 May 2008 21:34:00 EST In the midst of a presidential election, the country does not have a functioning body to oversee federal election laws. We don't mean well-functioning -- we mean functioning at all. |
| JCTA chief responds to editorial criticism Sun, 25 May 2008 21:37:00 EST I am writing in response to your recent editorial, "It's about the kids," dealing with the arbitrary termination of many beginning teachers in JCPS. I agree with the title of the editorial, but strongly disagree with its content. |
| All patriots should attend services Sun, 25 May 2008 21:39:00 EST I write today to encourage all Louisvillians, particularly those opposed to the war but who claim to nevertheless support our troops, to show that support by attending one of the Memorial Day services around Louisville. |
| Voter concerns Sun, 25 May 2008 21:37:00 EST Regarding the letter of May 22, "Problem with race," I appreciate the writer simplifying things for us; Democrat good, Republican bad. |
| Remember Mon, 26 May 2008 09:23 EDT On this sixth Memorial Day since the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003, let us honor the U.S. troops who have died in the war. The Associated Press put the number at 4,080 as of Thursday. |
| Parents, kids need break from activities Sun, 25 May 2008 02:03 EDT I pray for rain this time of year, searching for any hint of gray in the afternoon sky. My yearning is not agricultural, but selfish, since a downpour means a canceled practice for one or more of my ball-playing children. Bah, humbug, right? Before judging me, keep in mind that I have three daughters in softball and two sons in T-ball. During the pre-season, at least one child practices every day of the week, with each field several miles from our home in various directions. Furthermore, on two of those days, I'm coaching, desperately browsing online before practice to find drills for a dozen easily distracted girls. |
| Put spurs to improving horse safety Sun, 25 May 2008 02:04 EDT Three weeks and thousands of anguished words after the horrific death of Eight Belles in the dirt at Churchill Downs, two questions remain unanswered. What will it take to make Thoroughbred racing safer? Who can make it happen? Contradictory and fiercely held theories abound around the first question. As for the second, as Bob Costas noted three times in a segment on racing safety that NBC broadcast before the Preakness, no one's really in charge. |
| Regional planning hopes drying up Sat, 24 May 2008 02:04 EDT Winchester's decision to withdraw from a cooperative venture and build its own water-treatment plant is another blow to regional planning. We hope that Winchester isn't saddling itself with needlessly expensive water just to avoid being captive to Kentucky American Water. Mayor Ed Burtner and the city commission recently decided to build a new treatment plant rather than buy treated water from Kentucky American or the Bluegrass Water Supply Commission. The cost estimates per thousand gallons of water were about the same for all three proposals. But the $42.7 million to build the plant is four times the cost of the other two options. That's a lot of debt for Winchester's water customers to have to pay off. |
| Battle for the Bluegrass Sun, 25 May 2008 02:04 EDT A few days after the 2007 primary election, Democratic leaders staged a unity rally at the party's state headquarters. All the losing gubernatorial candidates showed up in a demonstration of support for the nominee, everyone made nice to each other, and Steve Beshear went on to an easy win over Republican incumbent Gov. Ernie Fletcher in the fall. On Friday, Kentucky Democrats staged another post-primary unity rally. Once again, it was a verbal hug fest. "Today, there are no differences," said Greg Fischer, who ran second to Bruce Lunsford in a U.S. Senate primary that got a tad nasty at times. "Today, we're all Democrats unified in one common purpose: to put a Democrat in the White House and to put a Democrat in the United States Senate." Lunsford responded in kind, saying Fischer "has a great future if he decides to stay in the game." |
| Dancing with Hillary Sun, 25 May 2008 09:27 EDT |
| Musings: Are you talking to me? I mean, call me stupid (oops, you already did), but I wouldn’t have voted for Barack Obama upon threat of painful death after the public thrashing my two very favorite states received. |
| A Canuck in Kantuck: Lessons from the sidewalk When I heard about Mac Kern’s plan to organize a 5K race for charity, I decided it was my kind of event. |
| Look alike cars return My faithful readers, all seven of you, will recall the column about the mistaken car drive off. Where someone’s key works the doors, or even ignition switch, of a car that does not belong to them. |
| Kentuckians must face shortcomings During lunch this week, a fellow reporter posed this question: “Was the primary and the national media coverage good for Kentucky?” Every one answered no. All but one of the six is native to Kentucky. |
| OUR VIEW A bill languishes in a U.S. House committed. It’s intent is to return the observance of Memorial Day to its traditional date of May 30. |
| Honor veterans Memorial Day The annual Memorial Day service will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the Glasgow Municipal Cemetery. |
| Indiana Jones brings mom, son together My son relies on his dad, grandpa, Uncle Nick and Mr. Scott to share with him lots of “boy” things. |
| YOUR VIEW: Global warming must be slowed soon Being warm is good, right? |
| Hot button issues Tue, 27 May 2008 10:53:39 -0500 Sometimes your best defense in politics is to take offense. Sen. Hillary Clinton appears to take that tack when she condemns “sexism” in media coverage of her campaign as “deeply offensive to millions of women.” In an interview with the Washington Post’s Lois Romano, she criticized the “vitriol” from “misogynists” along her quest for the presidency. She complained that media discuss the race factor much more than gender, even though “every poll I’ve seen (shows) more people would be reluctant to vote for a woman (than) to vote for an African American, which rarely gets reported on, either.” Does she have a point? You can bet your “Hillary Clinton Nutcracker” - on sale at many airport souvenir shops - that she does. I don’t begrudge the New York senator one bit for feeling upset about some of the more extreme insults she has faced, even though she knew what she was getting into. She’s hardly new to controversy. Still she aspires to be regarded as a strong, historic leader in the mold of Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, except from the political left. Instead, she’s often ridiculed by pundits and other wiseacres as a political version of the maniacal and murderous spurned lover played by Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction.” Not that Obama’s path has been free of racial indignities. There’s the Marietta, Ga., bar owner, for example, who has been selling T-shirts that proclaim “Obama in ’08” beneath an image of Curious George, the cartoon monkey, peeling a banana. Mike Norman, the barkeeper, says the shirts are not meant to be racist. He just thinks it’s cute, he says, that the Illinois senator and the children’s book character “look so much alike.” Right. Just be careful where you wear yours, Mike. Remember, for example, the jerk who held up a sign saying, “Iron my shirts,” during a Clinton speech in New Hampshire? The mischief was dismissed within days as the work of a boneheaded prankster. But, as Clinton supporters have pointed out, if a white man had waved a sign at an Obama rally saying “Shine my shoes,” we’d still hear the national uproar. Clinton may have a point when she says we have not talked as much about gender in our national media chatter as we talk about race. The double standard grows out of a fundamental difference in demographics and political psychology: Obama, presenting himself as an agent of change, benefits from transcending race. Clinton benefits from using gender to give her campaign the gloss of a higher cause - and a cover-up for her past political baggage. Many women I talk to, including some who oppose her politics or personality, admire her gumption. They sympathize and empathize with her struggle to walk the thin line between opposing nurturing mommy and strong daddy roles that a male-dominated world calls on her to play. As a result, we have seen the hailstorm of perceived slights or cheap jokes aimed at Clinton help give her a boost with many women who see in her public humiliations some of their own. All of which makes the endless debates over what is worse - racism or sexism - irrelevant to Obama as he closes in on the Democratic nomination. The big question for his campaign is how they can treat Clinton and her supporters with the dignity that will keep them in the Democratic camp for the general election. The last thing their party needs is a replay of the embarrassing 1980 scene at the National Democratic Convention, in which then-President Jimmy Carter practically chased his defeated challenger, Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, around the stage, trying in vain to get a handshake for the television cameras. As both candidates figure out their endgame, we are again hearing talk of Obama and Clinton as running mates. As a Band-Aid for the party’s wounds, it could be the most effective alliance since John F. Kennedy chose Lyndon B. Johnson in 1960. But, as an alliance of two very different personalities, it could be as bad as some of the other bad political match-ups of candidates who hardly seemed to know or like each other very much. Even if she’s not Obama’s running mate, it would benefit Clinton’s political future to work with visible enthusiasm for Obama’s election, even if she privately hopes he loses. She could return to the Senate and build her status as an elder stateswoman, unburdened by blame for Obama’s loss as she prepares for a run in 2012 or even 2016. Either way, Obama has shown a historic ability, despite bumps in the road, to transcend the nation’s vexing racial divide. If he’s the nominee, he’ll need all the help he can get to bridge the gender divide, too. |
| Obama’s ‘sweetie’ comment was overboard Tue, 27 May 2008 10:53:40 -0500 So what CAN you call someone today? When Barack Obama used the word “sweetie” in addressing a Detroit TV reporter last week, it made national headlines. He was scolded by the media. Fingers wagged. Tongues clucked. “Uh-uh-uh,” the conscience-makers said, “you’re stepping over the line.” And maybe he was. But where is the line? I’ve been thinking ever since this happened about the things we call each other when we call each other, and it seems they are all bad at one point or another. For example, “honey.” This is OK when it comes from your grandmother, your aunt or the chain-smoking, lipsticked, old blond waitress in Las Vegas who says, “Honey, pass me that ketchup bottle, will ya?” But from a politician, a business associate or a stranger on a bus, it’s bad. How about “babe” or “baby”? This seems OK when it comes from your grandmother, your aunt or the bad-haired record producer with sunglasses on the other side of the booth who says, “Great take, babe” or “Baby, you’re a star!” But from a politician, a business associate or a stranger on a bus, it’s bad. How about “sugar” or “gorgeous” or “cutie pie”? Again, these are OK from your grandmother, your aunt or the 80-year-old immigrant dressmaker who says, “OK, gorgeous, are you ready for your fitting?” But from a politician, a business associate or a stranger on a bus, they’re bad. How about “kiddo”? This is also OK from your grandmother, aunt or the old professor who puts his arm around you and says, “Listen, kiddo, the world is a tough place.” But from a politician, business associate or stranger on a bus, “kiddo” is demeaning, right? And is the professor allowed to put his arm around you? It seems pretty clear that only grandmothers and aunts can say anything they want to people - especially women. But this issue is hardly gender-specific. Men are bothered by certain catch words as well. For example, “bro.” If a white guy calls a black guy “bro,” eyebrows will raise. If a young man calls an older man “bro” same thing. But if two young guys are talking sports at a bar, they can toss around “bro” like a football, and no one will care. What about “buddy”? If a homeless man asks, “Buddy, can you spare a dime?” they’re liable to write a song about it. (I think they did.) But if the guy sitting next to you at the office says, “Hey, buddy, you mind not squeaking in your chair so much?” you want to slug him. I read once that Babe Ruth used to call people “ jidge,” which was actually what people called him, and thus he avoided having to remember anyone’s name. It also had the benefit of not being insulting, because, hey, if it was good enough for the Babe, why not you? Besides, titles can make you stumble. Dennis Archer and I met many years ago - before he became mayor of Detroit - in the bathroom at a charity event. We lined up next to each other at the, uh, facilities. I introduced myself as “Mitch,” he did the same as “Dennis.” We did not, given the circumstances, shake hands. But ever since then, whenever I see him, I have never been able to call him “mayor,” even though decorum might suggest it. I keep remembering that bathroom. And to me, he will always be “Dennis.” And let’s be honest, some people don’t want to be addressed in the proper manner. I know lots of women over 40 who, if you call them “ma’am,” might tear your head off. They would rather hear “sweetie” than “ma’am.” “Ma’am” means they’re old, whereas “sweetie” just means you’re a jerk. So I guess it’s like that old comic routine from the ’70’s. “You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay, or you can call me Johnny ... but you doesn’t have to call me Johnson.” I never knew what that meant. And I don’t know what to call anybody. |
| Childhood obesity Mon, 26 May 2008 22:54:00 EST One of every two of today's overweight children will develop Type 2 diabetes, and researches are grimly predicting that such children are at great risk of living as much as 20 fewer years than their parents. |
| Blaming newcomers Mon, 26 May 2008 22:55:00 EST Though it wasn't expected that South Africa would easily or quickly recover from generations of oppressive white-minority rule, the xenophobia and the violence that has erupted recently in poor black townships around Johannesburg shocks the consciousness. |
| As summer beckons, read about freedom's start Mon, 26 May 2008 22:55:00 EST The commencement speeches are over. The diplomas have been handed out. The audiences have disregarded the principals' plaintive pleas to hold all applause. The primal whoops, crude yells, and inevitable intonations of, "You go girl!" that echoed across the auditoriums as the graduates strode across the stages have now fallen silent. |
| What about Mary Jo? Mon, 26 May 2008 22:56:00 EST In all the effusive praise about Teddy Kennedy and his accomplishments, one set of initials is strangely missing -- MJK. |
| Hillary Clinton is mum about her own radical ties Mon, 26 May 2008 22:57:00 EST When Hillary Rodham Clinton questioned rival Barack Obama's ties to 1960s radicals, her comments baffled two retired Bay Area lawyers who knew Clinton in the summer of 1971 when she worked as an intern at a left-wing law firm in Oakland, Calif., that defended Communists and Black Panthers. |
| Tuition hikes deter progress Mon, 26 May 2008 22:57:00 EST Recent media coverage leading up to Kentucky's presidential primary repeatedly focused on the state's lack of educational attainment in analyzing how voters were expected to cast their ballots. |
| Preventive war by 'green soldiers' Mon, 26 May 2008 22:58:00 EST A preventive war worked out so well in Iraq that Washington last week launched another. The new preventive war -- the government responding forcefully against a postulated future threat -- has been declared on behalf of polar bears, the first species whose supposed jeopardy has been ascribed to global warming. |
| Where's Informed Decision? Mon, 26 May 2008 21:50:00 EST |
| Kentuckians can trust McCain, not Obama Tue, 27 May 2008 02:04 EDT Last month in my home town of Inez, Kentuckians got to hear some encouraging and inspiring words from Sen. John McCain. I am confident that voters can take him at his word, that his straightforward plan to help hard-working communities like those in Eastern Kentucky will do just that: help communities. His straight talk and disdain for campaign gimmickry are refreshing, especially when his Democratic opponents consistently waver on their positions, depending which primary state they're in. Case in point: Barack Obama has been traveling the country pandering to voters for too long now. Though I am confident Americans will reject his campaign promises on Election Day, it especially disturbs me when he turns his eyes on my home state. In one example of pandering, Obama sent an inaccurate and misleading mailing to Kentucky voters saying that he supports clean coal. This smacks of a similar promise he made to Illinois voters in 2004, when he first ran for the U.S. Senate. He proclaimed to Illinois voters then that "there's always going to be a role for coal" and, according to media reports, pledged support for Illinois coal miners. Since 2004, however, Obama has proposed taxing coal and played to liberal special interest groups, not the interest of his constituents. |
| Truth can be hard to pin down Tue, 27 May 2008 02:04 EDT Lately, I have toyed with the simple notion of the truth and how it is applied in modern society. The dictionary defines the word truth , in part, as a verified or indisputable fact, proposition or principle. This definition lends itself to a mathematical connotation -- as one might say two plus two is four -- the answer being then an undisputable and irrevocable fact. Another definition, however, says truth is an obvious or accepted fact, a truism, a platitude. On closer inspection, this definition contradicts the first, and it's the reason for my confusion, especially during a major political window. We throw around the word truth as if everyone fully understands its meaning. In most cases, the truth we desire is yielded from the first definition I referenced. Your children may tell you the truth when asked about a person, place or situation, and if they do not, then they have lied. Witnesses in a court of law swear to tell the truth, and if they are found to be misrepresenting the facts, they have perjured themselves. These are instances of indisputable fact, that which is verified as true and exists without further appraisal. |
| City should take roads with annexed land Wed, 28 May 2008 11:01:18 -0500 We think the county government has a legitimate argument in reference to the city annexing land without annexing adjoining roads, leaving the county still responsible for maintaining the roads in areas annexed into the city. On at least two occasions in the past few years, the city has taken the taxable areas while leaving the linked road expenses in the county’s hands. This is simply not fair to the county, considering Warren County road crews and sheriff’s deputies already cover more than three times the city’s length of pavement - and on a budget one quarter the size of the city’s. In March 2007, the city took in 29 acres around Lovers Lane and Mount Victor Lane, changing the annexation ordinance specifically to leave out 6.8 acres of actual road and rights of way, leaving it still under county maintenance and emergency-service responsibility. Obviously, this was not an oversight. The question is, why did the city leave this huge burden on the county, while at the same time collecting revenue from the land it annexed? One has to conclude the city is quite aware what it is doing and is leaving the burden of maintaining and patrolling roads the city should be responsible for to the county. Another example is the city’s annexing of the land around Greenwood Lane, where Gander Mountain sits. Lots of commercial development is expected in this area, so the city will reap a large amount of occupational taxes from new jobs and property taxes from increasing land value. Here’s the catch: Once again, the city didn’t annex the road in this area. It is even more disturbing that county officials didn’t even know the area had been annexed, although no law exists that says that the county has to be asked or notified of the annexation. But if the city is going to do this on a regular basis and expect the county to maintain its roads, wouldn’t this be the responsible thing to do? The annexation issue also arose when the city annexed a subdivision, but wanted the county to mow and maintain a runoff retention basin. Mayor Elaine Walker said the city is working on a comprehensive annexation policy. It could include annexing roadways along with taxable land or a revenue sharing arrangement that would allow the county to cover its road maintenance expenses. We hope this includes the city taking care of all the land it annexes, including the roads and rights of way. We trust the two local governments will be able to work out an arrangement that will be fair and equitable to both parties. |
| Not a wise play Wed, 28 May 2008 11:00:57 -0500 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is the polar opposite of John F. Kennedy. Judging from recent comments, Obama apparently would pay no price, bear no burden, forsake any hardship, support any foe and oppose any friend that wished to pursue liberty. Kennedy understood that evil exists in the world. He saw it in World War II as his generation defeated the evil that gripped Europe and Japan. And he witnessed it as president when Nikita Khrushchev approved the building of the Berlin Wall and the installation of Soviet missiles in Cuba, acts that flowed from Khrushchev’s perception that the young president was weak and inexperienced. Obama thinks he can negotiate with evil and transform evil into something else. Initially his foreign policy platform was a naive pledge to meet “unconditionally” with the leaders of Iran, North Korea, Syria, Cuba and other nations dominated by dictators. In recent days he has changed his tune somewhat. He would still meet with the heads of these mini evil empires without preconditions, but “there must be careful preparation. We will set a clear agenda.” This leads to an important question: On what basis does a free nation negotiate with nations that are not free? Does Obama expect leaders who got where they are by undemocratic, even violent means, to embrace press freedom, religious liberty, political pluralism and rights for women? What would evil leaders demand of him? Any concession given to dictators, who are not known for keeping their promises, would surely result in the United States being taken less seriously and contribute to the undermining of our national security. In his recent speech to the Israeli Knesset, President Bush pointedly noted that evil cannot be accommodated, negotiated with, pampered, or appeased. It must be opposed and defeated. Obama’s “strategy” for dealing with evil is the progeny of a secular age that sees everything bad as curable through counseling, good intentions masquerading as wishful thinking and/or pharmaceutical intervention. Prosperity and a sense of entitlement have dulled our senses to what evil looks like. These days, evil is the political party to which you don’t belong and the ideology to which you do not subscribe. Evil has a definition. Dictionary.com calls it: “morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked.” There is a presumption contained in this definition. It is that a standard exists by which evil (and its opposite, good) may be judged. Too many of us have been taught in government schools and by contemporary culture that such notions belong to another, less sophisticated era. In the Internet age “evil” has become extinct. One need only consider the flaunted immorality of “Sex and the City” to get the point. Women my grandmother would have labeled “sluts” are now regarded as New York sophisticates who change men as rapidly as they change clothes, during the short breaks between sexual trysts when they bother to wear clothes at all. In place of an immutable standard, it is in self we trust, not God (Heaven, “if it exists,” forbid!) Obama’s only foreign policy strategy seems to be diplomacy, not the defeat of evil. Such an approach when not supported by a credible threat of military power is bound to encourage more evil, not less. Obama debunks the value of experience, claiming the experience of President Bush and John McCain got us into the lengthy Iraq War. That war didn’t start in Iraq and it won’t end there, even if our objectives are achieved. Those objectives are closer to being realized than they were a year ago, but Obama and his fellow Democrats cannot acknowledge progress because they are preoccupied with victory at the polls more than victory over evil. Recently, The Washington Times carried a story by Rowan Scarborough that quoted intelligence officials who believe terrorist attacks could occur in the early month’s of the next president’s administration. Terrorists attacked in February 1993 just two months after Bill Clinton’s Inauguration and again on Sept. 11, 2001, less than eight months after George W. Bush became president. The central question for voters ought to be this: who do we want in the White House should another terrorist attack occur; one who seeks to negotiate with evil, or one who is a warrior and wants to crush it? |
| A bridge too narrow? Tue, 27 May 2008 22:44:00 EST The two-laning of Harrods Creek Bridge is a no-brainer, right? Not really. If the current one-lane bridge is widened as planned, it may well encourage speeders to rush through an area where cars currently move slowly and cautiously, lest they end up on each other's bumper. |
| Flubs vs. sleaze Tue, 27 May 2008 22:44:00 EST Presidential candidates nowadays must contend with the certainty that every slip will take up immediate residence on YouTube, where it will entertain millions. |
| He's half white Tue, 27 May 2008 22:45:00 EST I find it amazing that so many in Kentucky focus on Sen. Barack Obama being black and act like he hates white folks. Do all the goofy people who write to your paper criticizing him remember that his mother is white, and thus he is half white, too? |
| Two examples of shutting out a public that needs to know Tue, 27 May 2008 22:47:00 EST You want to know why it's important to let the public know who is doing the public's business, and how it's being done? I offer two examples. |
| More reactions to primary, race and cartoon Tue, 27 May 2008 22:46:00 EST I'm amazed at the responses to the allegedly "racist" political cartoon last week. I'd ask this question of those bemoaning this latest barb in the allegedly unyielding slanderous assault on white Americans: What discrimination have you ever in your life experienced as a result of being white? |
| Sexism, Racism, Realism... Tue, 27 May 2008 22:48:00 EST |
| Religion shouldn't be election issue Wed, 28 May 2008 02:03 EDT Last week, Leslie County Judge-Executive Jimmy Sizemore told reporter Linda Blackford that Barack Obama's problem in Appalachia isn't so much that he's African-American as that he's a Muslim. Told Obama is Christian, Sizemore responded, "I don't care about finding out because I'm a Republican." The slightly sexy sense of scandal aroused by the whisper campaign about Obama's religion rests entirely on the subtext that it is both wrong and un-American to be Muslim. It's neither. For the record, Obama, who spent part of his childhood in a Muslim country and whose father was Muslim, is Christian. |
| Mountaintop removal Wed, 28 May 2008 07:52 EDT |
| Direct Kick: Twelve years ago, a day that will live in wrestling infamy |
| Beshear was right to issue ethics reform Sat, 31 May 2008 22:16:57 -0500 Gov. Steve Beshear took the appropriate step Tuesday by signing an executive order for ethics reform, even though his actions may have been driven in part by frustration. Beshear has campaigned hard since the 2007 election for ethics reform and the House passed most of the provisions in this year’s General Assembly, but the Senate failed to act. That was a shame, but we are glad that Beshear took the initiative and signed the order himself. Due to the misdeeds of past administrations, something had to be done to ensure actions taken by state officials pass ethical as well as legal muster. His order changes the process of appointing Executive Branch Ethics Commission members, going from a five-member panel appointed entirely by the governor to a rotation; the first vacancy will be filled by the governor, but the second will be chosen from three nominees submitted by the attorney general and the third from a list submitted by the auditor of public accounts. While this is an improvement in the process, it is unfortunate that Beshear excluded the secretary of state from the rotation. Trey Grayson is acknowledged as a competent and moral public servant, and his department oversees elections, which are certainly a viper’s nest of ethical issues. Apparently his only sin is that he is an elected Republican in a sea of Democrats. Also, state employees won’t be allowed to seek a new job from a person or company with which that employee is currently negotiating on behalf of the state. Legal defense funds will have to be registered and provide quarterly reports; donations can’t be accepted from anyone doing business with the state. Finally, members of about 74 policy-making and regulatory boards will be subject to ethical guidelines governing gifts and conflicts of interest. We feel all these policies will lead to a more open and ethical state government. It is also worth noting that Beshear announced that he and 60 percent of state management personnel have taken mandatory ethics training. While Beshear’s order is important, it only pertains to the executive branch, not the legislative branch. Also, since it was implemented by executive order rather than through the legislative process, subsequent governors could abolish it in the future. This is why we urge the General Assembly to address this issue in a future session and enact a broader bill with input from the governor. |
| No objectivity Sat, 31 May 2008 22:17:16 -0500 This just in: Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan has written a new book that hammers President Bush. Among other things, McClellan says Mr. Bush did not handle Hurricane Katrina correctly, botched the Iraq war, which never should have been fought in the first place, and partied hard as a young guy. That sounds like it’s worth $30, does it not? But the far-left media is swooning. Yeah, baby, a former Bush guy coming clean. Can’t get enough of that. Some inside baseball: Last November, “Factor” producers contacted McClellan's “people” about the book and were assured the author would be anxious to appear on my program since it routinely sells a ton of books. Great. But now old Scott has had second thoughts, and has booked himself on every far left venue around, avoiding your humble correspondent. Interesting. Maybe that’s because McClellan knows that in April of 2007, he appeared on Bill Maher’s program still supporting the Iraq action. On that show, former Sen. Bill Bradley actually got annoyed with McClellan for his hawkish stance. But that was then. McClellan’s former boss, Ari Fleischer, says that Scott confessed to him that the publisher, Public Affairs, made him “revise” some of the book, putting in more negative stuff about Bush. If that’s true, it makes sense. Few people these days are in the mood to read anything good about the president. Now, I predict McClellan’s book will disappear in a few weeks, but the media angle here is fascinating. Today in America there is a “vast left wing media conspiracy,” no question. Overwhelmingly, the press has made a sharp left hand turn even as there is little traffic in the right hand lane. That’s because many in the conservative media do not like John McCain, so there’s no drive to support him as there was with George W. Bush. The right may not like Barack Obama, but, without a champion, their zeal for the election is muted. But the left media simply loves Sen. Obama. It is all affection all the time, a constant drumbeat of good vibrations. Bush and McCain bad, Barack good. And, as the election draws closer, the Obama media chorus will grow louder. So, how will this affect the actual vote? No way of telling at this point, but it can’t hurt Obama. Independents will decide the election, and they will be subjected to quite an avalanche of glad Obama tidings. Once Hillary gets out of the way, the summer of Obama love will commence. There is something rather unsettling about the situation. With Gore versus Bush and Kerry versus Bush, the media was divided but equally passionate. Talk radio leading the way for Bush, the networks and big city papers heralding the Democrats. But this time, the deck is stacked for Obama. Good break for him, bad deal for McCain. That’s all there's left to say. |
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