Free Republic

Tickets sales have been extraordinary for Governor Palin's February trip to Kansas to deliver the keynote address to the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce. In fact, according to the Salina Journal, ticket sales have been suspended, at least temporarily, so they can sort through the systemic overload caused by the unprecedented demand: Because of an overwhelming number of requests, the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce has suspended the sale of tickets to its annual dinner, which will feature former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. "At this point, I am not saying that we're sold out," Chamber president and CEO Dennis Lauver...

While roaming the grounds of the US Capitol yesterday, Kristinn Taylor obtained a list of possible democrat defectors of the now infamous “Healthcare” bill. Kristinn was asked to post this list of wobbly democrats on FreeRepublic in an effort to mobilize our forces and overwhelm these members with phone calls and e-mails asking them to vote NO on the socialization of our healthcare. We also learned that Nancy Pelosi had just scheduled the vote for tomorrow; Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 6:00 PM. For all those who were unable to answer the call to surround the Capitol yesterday, here is...

Blue skies, warm weather and a crowd estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 people greeted the "Tea Party Express" bus tour in the parking lot of Lawrence-Dumont Stadium this afternoon. Members of the tour, titled "Countdown to Judgment Day," entertained the crowd with songs and speeches calling for change in Washington D.C., less government spending, less government intrusion, and an end to bailouts and President Obama's health care reform plans.The fourth tea party in Wichita lasted about two hours.Most in the crowd held signs proclaiming sentiments such as "We Want Our Country Back," "Wake Up America" and "Nobama Death Care."Fifteen people...

I support a phased withdrawal of U.S. and allied troops from Afghanistan, starting Jan. 1 and ending no later than Dec. 31, 2012. The Afghan people have suffered enough and the U.S. government should promote a negotiated settlement to the war. Afghanistan has been at war almost continually since 1979. We’ve been over there since 2001. At the end of 2012 we’ll have been there 11 years. That’s more than long enough to achieve our mission. And 32 years of war is too long for the Afghans. Afghanistan is an impoverished country. Sixty-eight percent of its population has never known...

DENVER - After pounding Colorado's Front Range and metropolitan Denver for more than two days with snow, a powerful Winter Storm pushed into eastern Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas Thursday evening. The snow and wind created blizzard conditions and forced the closure of several major highways, including Interstate 70 which was shut down from Aurora to the Kansas state line. Also closed were I-76 from Brighton to Neb., US 34 from Brush to Neb., CO 71 from Neb. to Ordway, CO 61 from Sterling to Otis, and CO 59 between I-76 and Yuma.

An eBay auction planned by abortion opponents to raise money for the man accused of killing Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller will not be permitted, company officials said Tuesday. “Based on the details we know about the anticipated listings, we believe these would violate our policy regarding offensive material,” the company said in a statement to The Kansas City Star. “EBay will not permit the items in question to be posted to the eBay site, and they will be removed if they are posted.” The announcement came the same day that Tiller’s family implored eBay to prevent the auction. “These...

Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson just issued an apology for hurling a gay slur at reporters yesterday -- but it was too late ... the team has already sidelined him from team activities. Here's Johnson's apology: First of all, I want to apologize to the fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the NFL, Commissioner Goodell, the Chiefs organization, Coach Todd Haley, his staff, and my teammates for the words I used yesterday" "I regret my actions. The words were used by me in frustration, and they were not appropriate. I did not intend to...

Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson is in hot water with GLAAD -- after the former NFL Pro-Bowler reportedly dropped the homophobic f-bomb twice in the last 24 hours. President of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Jarrett Barrio is calling for the NFL to take action against Johnson, saying "All too often this is the word that is used to ridicule and harass young gay and transgender athletes on local sports fields across America. Professional athletes who use this word need to be held accountable for feeding a climate of intolerance toward our community. NFL officials need...

I am afraid to report that when I compared Thomas Frank's book, which I believe was a cheap hatchet job on the majority of the people of Kansas, and the 2009 Cohen/Winston documentary of the same name, I found that the apple does not fall very far from the tree. A few fundamental themes ran through the film. The first theme is that when Christians and their values are mixed with politics it is the recipe for political doom. The liberal crowd on viewing night seemed quite joyful as the pro-lifer, Phill Kline, is defeated by Paul Morrison for Kansas...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM MDT THURSDAY. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. SNOWFALL REPORTS OF 4 TO 5 INCHES WERE RECEIVED WEDNESDAY EVENING WEST OF VONA ACROSS KIT CARSON COUNTY AND NEAR KIRK IN SOUTHWEST YUMA COUNTY. SNOW, HEAVY AT TIMES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS BEFORE DIMINISHING WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES EXPECTED. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THURSDAY MORNING ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 6 TO 8 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ACROSS WESTERN KIT CARSON...

A stop livestock movement exercise is taking place on the Oklahoma/Kansas border on Oct. 22. The goal is to practice stopping animal movement across borders during times of contagious animal disease. Traffic will be screened at two border locations; one three miles north of Turpin on Highway 83 and the other at the intersection of Highways 160 and 183 near Sitka, Kansas.

Eastern Jackson County, MO —      Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders says his $1.03 billion commuter rail proposal is a uniquely Kansas City solution for Kansas City’s unique situation. “It has the potential to transform the greater Kansas City area in the span of two years,” he says. Our fair metro is often described as the second busiest rail hub in the country. That means we have lots of trains using lots of tracks – but there are also many miles of unused or underused tracks.      Jim Terry, who worked for the Union Pacific for 32 years and has...

TOPEKA, Kan. – A video featuring a Kansas legislator criticizing President Barack Obama's policies while wearing a hat describing opossum as "the other dark meat" was removed Thursday from YouTube, where the lawmaker had posted it last month. Republican Rep. Bill Otto said he didn't remove the video, titled "RedNeck Rap," and didn't know why it had been taken down. Google Inc., YouTube's owner, could offer no explanation. Otto said criticism of the video was unfounded. He said the hat's saying, which he repeats at the end of the short video, refers to redneck stereotypes, not Obama. The White House...

TOPEKA, Kan. — A Kansas priest already under consideration for sainthood has won the endorsement of the Army's top civilian leader to receive the Medal of Honor.

Speaking to a respected Hispanic leader in KCK, Dennis Moore reportedly called decorated and disabled Marine Veteran and Congressional Opponent "White Trash" in a recent (recorded) telephone conversation. The KCK leader, who has formally supported the incumbent congressman, is supporting Daniel Gilyeat's candidacy for the Kansas 3rd District Congressional seat. Dennis Moore called the KCK man after hearing the Hispanic community leader's support had changed. Dennis Moore said he had $7 million for the campaign and could not believe the naturalized citizen was supporting "White Trash" over Moore.

YWCA Misinforms Raped Inmate About Adoption, Pays for Abortion Topeka, KS -- The case of a raped inmate in Kansas who was coerced into an abortion and taken to a Planned Parenthood center is generating criticism of Kansas corrections officials. But it is also implicating the YWCA, which appears to have misled the woman and arranged her abortion. http://www.LifeNews.com/state4479.html

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Oct. 2, 2009 – The Kansas National Guard agribusiness development team here, along with local and provincial officials, participated in a ceremony to introduce a profitable crop to area farmers at the Laghman Agricultural Research and Development Center in Mehtar Lam district, Sept. 29. Mohammad Ismail Dowlatizai, director of agriculture for Afghanistan’s Laghman province, speaks to local farmers and provincial representatives about the benefits of growing saffron, Sept. 29, 2009. An agribusiness development team from the Kansas National Guard is working with farmers in Laghman province, Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Saffron,...

This Sunday on the circuit, it's Kansas City, Kansas and Race #3 in the Chase for the Cup. Sprint Cup and Nationwide run this week-end, no Trucks racing.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Aug. 11, 2009) — In the event of a terrorist attack at Kansas Motor Speedway, the Missouri National Guard’s 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team would likely be called to assist first responders. The unit spent a week recently training at the speedway alongside civil support teams from Kansas and Nebraska for Operation Rolling Thunder. “It was three days of very valuable joint training,” said Lt. Col. Raymond White, unit commander. “We worked in concert with the other teams and learned a lot.” After the field training began on the second day, the Missouri...

In case you'd been losing sleep wondering just who would get Sen. John McCain's support in the race for Sen. Sam Brownback's seat in Kansas when he steps down in 2010, the answer is in: U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran. He, of course, just nipped Rep. Todd Tiahrt to it, and just in time, too. In case you'd forgotten, the presidential election cycle ended a full, well, not quite full, 11 months ago. It's back to politics time, baby. Now, exactly why Sen. McCain, the GOP presidential candidate in 2008 (in case you'd forgotten, it was so long ago) would get...

Wichita Suffers From Bizjet Downturn AVIATION WEEK Joseph C. Anselmo janselmo@aviationweek.com William Garvey william_garvey@aviationweek.com Wichita, Kan. A severe downturn in the aviation industry has led to the loss of 30,000 jobs in Wichita as the impact from mass layoffs at companies such as Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft and Bombardier Learjet has rippled through small suppliers and the economy, according to Mayor Carl Brewer. Unemployment in this aviation-dependent city of 364,000 has hit 9.7% as business jet and general aviation manufacturers have throttled back on production after mass cancellations of existing orders and a dramatic reduction in new orders. "That type of...

U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran's campaign for a Senate seat says it has scored an endorsement from Sen. John McCain — of Arizona and the GOP's unsuccessful nominee for president last year. “I’m proud to endorse my friend Jerry Moran in his candidacy for U.S. Senate. Moran has a proven record of fiscal responsibility. He has stood up to irresponsible spending on both sides of the aisle and is not afraid to oppose wasteful earmarks that cheat the American taxpayer,” McCain said in a statement released by Moran's campaign. “With government spending levels reaching record highs and trust in Washington, D.C.,...

The Alliance for Worker Freedom sent out the following press release: Kansas Gov. Parkinson Refuses to Provide Financial & Email Records between SEIUParkinson’s Departments Use Taxpayer Money to Collect Names for UnionWashington, D.C. — Last week, the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) called on Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson (D) to release financial documents and correspondence surrounding his Departments using taxpayer money and state resources to collect healthcare provider names and addresses for the Service Employee International Union (SEIU)....

A diverse crowd of more than 150 people gathered in Forum Hall Wednesday evening to hear the opinions of two law professors as they debated the ever-present topic of gun control in relation to the language of the U.S. Constitution. The audience sat intently as the debate-style information session titled “Guns on Campus? The New Understanding of the Right to Bear Arms” brought two perspectives on the future of the courts’ interpretation of the Second Amendment through the research and experience of Raymond T. Diamond, law professor at Louisiana State University, and William Merkel, law professor at Washburn University.

Steve Rose, the longtime publisher of the Johnson County Sun and well-known civic leader, said Wednesday that he’s running for Congress. Rose, 61, said he would campaign as a Republican in Kansas’ 3rd District. If he wins the GOP nomination, he presumably would face six-term Democratic incumbent Dennis Moore. Rose acknowledged that he had endorsed Moore repeatedly over the years in his Sun column. But Rose said Moore had changed. “I think that under the current administration it’s a much further left government,” Rose said. “And Dennis Moore is voting with them. I think he’s left the mainstream of his...

In this epsiode of the Conscience of Kansas radio program I interview Mike Yost, candidate for U.S. House of Reptesentatives. We play some of the lecture of Bob Basso as Thomas Paine at Kansas State University. We also talk to Kristinn Taylor, co-founder of the Wasington D.C. branch of the FreeRepublic on the resignation of green czar Van jones. We invite you to listen and comment.

Back to web version Thursday, Sep 10, 2009 Posted on Wed, Sep. 09, 2009 Big beer, big movies: Both fall flat By ROBERT W. BUTLERThe Kansas City Star The other day I watched the new documentary “Beer Wars” because … well, because it has the word “beer” in the title.But Anat Baron’s film (she was one of the founders of Boston Beer Co., makers of the Sam Adams line) ended up making me think about movies.Bear with me. (I almost wrote “beer with me,” but I retain a smidgen of self-respect.)“Beer Wars” (you can pick up a DVD at...

PATIENTS FIRST BUS TOUR Join Americans for Prosperity as we welcome the national Patients First Bush tour to Johnson County. The AFP Patients First Bus Tour Bus has been traveling the country, stopping at healthcare rallies, and now it’s coming to the 3rd Congressional District in Kansas. We hope you’ll join us next week in rallying against government-run healthcare, and telling Congressman Dennis Moore that patients come first! Patients Fist Rally Tuesday, Spetember 8 , 2009 12 p.m. Shawnee Mission Park — Shelter House #12 7900 Renner Road Shawnee, KS Hear how a Washington takeover of health care will allow...

Lucas Wondra has Down syndrome and communicates with a few words, sign language and a PDA with a speaker and voice software. But when it comes to the Boy Scouts, he concedes no disability. On Monday, Lucas, a 16-year-old freshman at Hutchinson High, became an Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America and the latest in a collage of medals and merit badges covering his uniform. Scout Master Bill Whitlow said Lucas is the first Scout with Down syndrome from Troop 301 to achieve his Eagle rank. "I feel like it's been a community effort," his...

A Goddard, Kan., police officer admitted in federal court that he offered to have a woman’s drunken driving charge dismissed in exchange for sex, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced today. Calvin Schaffer, 44, of Goddard, made the admission as part of a plea agreement. Schaffer pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Authorities said he arrested a woman Feb. 27 for drunken driving. He later sent her a text message and said he could arrange to have the charges dismissed if she agreed to have sex with him.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - In Kansas, Carrie Nation battled booze by smashing up saloons, the state school board once approved science guidelines questioning evolution and anti-abortion leaders have made their stiffest stands - all burnishing the state's conservative credentials.

BELLEVUE, Neb. | At the end of a day of performing one abortion after the next after the next, LeRoy Carhart phrases the question himself. “Do I think I’ll get shot? I hope not,” the physician says. “Is it a possibility? I think it’s a very, very good possibility.” Meantime, the potbellied military retiree, grandfather and horse lover carries on the same steady abortion business that has defined, dominated and directed his life for the last two decades. Now he stands at the most thinly manned front line in America’s abortion wars — almost daring the opposition to stop him...

Wichita Kansas Tea Party at Sedgwick County Park

In this episode of the Conscience of Kansas radio program I talk to Ron and Kay Rivoli of Rivoli Revue and we hear their big hits "Bailout" and "U.S.S. of A." Next I speak to Kansas Attorney General candidate, Ralph De Zago and then Patriot Poet Roger Hancock. We invite to lsiten and comment on the show!

It is hard to believe that August is already coming to a close. It has certainly been nice to be able to step away from the atmosphere of D.C., and hear first-hand what my constituents at home are thinking and feeling about a number of issues, including health care reform. I truly appreciate hearing from so many of you on this topic – what’s working already, what needs to be improved or even concerns about what health care reform might mean for you. As Congress prepares to reconvene in early September, please know that I will be taking your comments...

A Republican congresswoman from Kansas is issuing a great big apology for saying the GOP is searching for a "great white hope" to stop President Obama's policy agenda. Rep. Lynn Jenkins "apologizes if her words have offended anyone," her spokesman, Mary Geiger, told The Associated Press. "That was not the intent in any way, shape or form." During an Aug. 19 forum, Jenkins attempted to reassure the crowd that that the Republican Party has promising young leaders. "Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope," Jenkins, who is white, said. "I suggest to any of you who...

An animal rights group has offered to double a fast-food restaurant's recent monetary gift to patch up the city's potholes. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said in a letter to Mayor Bill Bunten it wants to help improve Topeka's roads by giving the city $6,000, twice as much as Kentucky Fried Chicken gave to Topeka for the same purpose. In return, PETA wants the potholes stenciled with an evil Colonel Sanders next to the phrase, "KFC tortures animals."... The city was recently chosen by KFC as one of four cities to receive $3,000 for pothole repair. About 60...

The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." To educate people on the Tenth Amendment and what it means in terms of balancing power between the states and the federal government, the Salina TEA Party organization is hosting a rally Saturday. The rally starts at noon in Robert Caldwell Plaza, between the City-County Building and the Salina Public Library. Dr. Charles Romm, one of the TEA Party organizers, said that in reading...

Wichita, Kansas conservatives turn out at the Saturday rally in opposition to Obamacare! We met outside of Congressman Todd Tiahrt's office. (Tiahrt is SOLIDLY on our side!) It was a good crowd on such short notice. Only one rather weird counter-demonstrator who didn't have his facts straight. (I found out about this at the last minute, don't feel bad if you missed it. Try hard to go to the next T-Party, Friday 28 August 09, Sedgwick County Park, by the Zoo!)

In this episode of the Conscience of Kansas radio program I interview Jonathan Leaf, author of the politically Incorrect Guide to "The Sixties". He lays out the truth on many misconceptions on the 1960s. We also talk about the upcoming TEA Party in Wichita Kansas with Lynda Tyler of Kansans for Liberty. We also talk to 11 yr old christian conservative movie maker Noelle from NEA's Viaries. We invite you to listen and comment on the show!

In this epsiode of the Conscience of Kansas radio program I speak to Michigan Talk show host Martin Dzuris about his escape from Communism in the 1980s and how Obama is bringing the Soviet Union back to America. Next, I interview the Hon. Dr. James David Manning from Atlah Worldwide about why Obama is a "long legged Mac Daddy". It is a very interesting show and we invite you to listen and comment!

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2009 – When a TriWest Healthcare Alliance nurse who serves in the Kansas Air National Guard got notice of an upcoming deployment in 2006, TriWest President David McIntyre ensured the company would see to her family’s needs. “There was no hesitation when I said that I was going to deploy,” said Janet Hanson, a colonel with 24 total years of active and Air Guard military service. “Mr. McIntyre personally said that if my family or I need anything during the deployment to contact him personally, which was great.” McIntyre’s gesture is just one of the reasons TriWest...

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan., Aug. 17, 2009 – Ten years ago, when he was a battalion commander at Fort Sill, Okla., then–Army Col. Jim Davis received a call that the Army had a new chaplain for his soldiers -- and he was Muslim. Chaplain (Maj.) Dawud Agbere and his family pose outside of their home in Normandy Village on Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Aug. 11, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Prudence Siebert  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The 400 soldiers with 6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery, although mostly Christian, trusted Chaplain Dawud Agbere right away, said Davis, now an assistant professor...

Kansas Attorney General Steve Six is being criticized for not pursuing a lawsuit that was filed against a state law that deals with adult-oriented businesses. The lawsuit was filed by a chain of adult-oriented businesses against a law that regulates billboard advertising in small Kansas towns. "So, the attorney general basically just immediately dropped the case," notes Phillip Cosby of the Kansas City office of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families. "It didn't even go to trial, and he did not even present any evidence that was given to the legislature about negative secondary effects." He...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas has announced that it will not allow LeRoy Carhart to admit patients there who may suffer from botched abortions. The decision is significant because it could prevent Carhart from opening up a new late-term abortion business in town. Carhart current runs an abortion center outside Omaha, Nebraska and had worked with late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller before he was shot and killed by someone not affiliated with the pro-life movement.Carhart wants to replace Tiller and open up his own abortion facility in Wichita, but he needs an agreement with...

The Obama administration is sending a team to inspect a maximum-security prison in Michigan that could be used to hold terrorism suspects now being held at Guantanamo Bay. Representatives of the Defense, Justice and Homeland Security departments are expected to be along for the tour of the state prison in Standish, about 145 miles north of Detroit. The Standish facility and a military penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., are among sites being considered to house detainees if the prison in Cuba is closed by next year, as President Barack Obama has ordered. Guantanamo Bay now holds 229 suspected al-Qaida, Taliban...

PANORA, Iowa - Sen. Charles Grassley, a Republican who is a key bargainer on health care reform, played to packed crowds across the state who left little doubt that they are not happy with what's on the table. The questions were tough but respectful, and there was little of the shouting that has dominated similar meetings in other parts of the country. "It seems to me that people are expressing, not just on health care, but people are just very scared about the direction the country is taking," said Grassley, who emphasized that he hasn't signed off on anything.

Staff Workers Say Man Stopped Short Of Threatening Congressman KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Staff workers for U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore of Kansas said they filed a police report last week after receiving an angry call. Staff workers said a man called Moore's Overland Park office on Aug. 6 and was angry, rude and raised his voice in a threatening manner, but stopped short of threatening the congressman. The man brought up several issues on the call, including health care, according to Moore's office.