Free Republic

If 19 million pounds of meat distributed to half of this country had been contaminated with a deadly strain of E. coli bacteria by terrorists, we'd go nuts. But when it's done by a Fortune 100 corporation, we continue to buy it and feed it to our kids. As children are weaned from dialysis, joining others recovering from eating ground beef contaminated with feces, the rest of us are ready to return to business as usual from the meat industry. Be sure to cook those burgers well, we remind each other. Well-done burgers won't give you renal failure despite the...

Join us for an Open House to celebrate the Grand Opening of our Johnson County Office Saturday August 31st 5:00 - 8:00 PM 6311 West 119th Street Overland Park, Kansas (across the street from Sprint Main Campus) We will have complimentary refreshments. Questions? contact the the JoCo HQ at 913.661.9399 Thanks! We'll look forward to seeing you there!

Well Being of Members Bring the average teacher salary in Kansas up to the national level. Provide health insurance to teachers. Allow school districts to contribute to tax-sheltered annuities for educators. Quality Public Schools Provide options for all-day kindergarten. Expand the 4-Year-Old At-Risk and Parents As Teachers programs to provide services for all eligible children. Increase funding for at-risk populations. Fully fund the excess costs for special education. Provide rewards to schools that meet the standard of excellence, significantly improve student performance or increase the graduation rate. Provide parents with information on how their student performed on state assessments. Provide...

Speech by the President of the Republic of Cuba, Fidel Castro Ruz, at the ceremony for the reopening of 254 schools that were built or refurbished in the country’s capital, held at the “Astral” Theater on August 13, 2002 Compatriots of the capital and of Cuba: Around 20 months ago, in December of 2001, a slow and exhausting effort began. It was necessary to totally refurbish and furnish over 734 primary and secondary schools in the country’s capital, refurbish 12 that had been abandoned, and build 33 new ones. This work would considerably improve the conditions in all facilities of...

Show your support by becoming a "Partner in Patriotism." Click here for more information. In the wake of September 11, GOPUSA realizes the need to inspire and strengthen the American spirit for what is surely the long fight ahead. GOPUSA also believes in America's youth and supports the goals and objectives of our legislators to improve literacy and education. In the Young Patriots Essay Contest, GOPUSA seeks to deliver a message of patriotism through the words of America's youth. The contest will consist of an essay on the topic "What it means to be an American" and will be open...

Tactics of Desperation In recent days a number of folks have been kind enough to ask me which candidates I am supporting for the statewide elections. I am supporting four men, all of whom I know personally and have worked with on many issues: Tim Shallenburger for Governor, Phill Kline for Attorney General, Dennis Wilson for State Treasurer, and Bryan Riley for Insurance Commissioner. They are truly men of integrity, men committed to the traditional values we all hold dear. They all understand that power rests in the people, not in Topeka. And they are committed to truth and honesty....

At 15 minutes past midnight this Saturday morning, the GOP House Leadership brought the Administration's 'Fast Track' Legislation to a vote and rushed it to final passage at 3:30 AM ­ largely on a Party Line vote of 215-213. To secure midnight passage, the GOP House Leadership enacted "Martial Law" a procedure that set aside House Rules and removed Members' right to have 24 hours to review legislation before voting. Last night, Members were neither given a written copy of the legislation nor time to review the bill or to consult with their Constituents. Instead, Members were given an e-mail...

Attorney General Carla Stovall, in a press conference delayed a day because of a touch of food poisoning, said Tuesday afternoon that major ethical flaws of former State Rep. Phill Kline, of Shawnee, make her unable to have confidence in him as a potential Kansas attorney general. Stovall also said that David Kensinger, a chief aide to U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, who offered Kline's name in nomination for the job of U.S. Attorney in March of 2001, threatened one of her staffers about Stovall's plan to blast Kline for his abortive nomination to the job now held by Brownback protégé...

With only two weeks to go until the Aug. 6 primary, Kansas Republicans better start thinking about which candidate they want to represent their political party in the November election. And they better start revving up their fellow Republicans as well, because we all benefit when voter turnout is high. Here's why. When just a few people go to the polls, then a small number of voters can sway an election one way or the other. That's particularly important these days for the state's Republicans, when key races feature candidates from the extreme right wing of their party -- a...

Get ready for a GOP nail-biter Questions, questions and more questions about the Kansas political scene as the Aug. 6 primary draws near: Who's going to win the GOP primary race for governor? We have a dead heat in the making. Polls conducted by candidates in recent days agree on one point: This baby is too close to call. Any one of the three leading contenders -- Wichita Mayor Bob Knight, state Treasurer Tim Shallenburger and Senate President Dave Kerr -- could pull it out. If that's the case, who has the momentum? The best guess at this point is...

The Kansas governor's election is coming, and I wanted to share a very personal story about one of the candidates. This happened about 6 years ago, and I feel I owe it to the person to share it. Six years ago we started foster care and took in our first child. She was an adorable, bubbly 4-year-old. We were her third home in about five months. Prior to coming into “the system” she had grown up in a series of shelters and wherever else her birth parents had seen fit to leave her. She was a doll and we bonded...

I've reached my limit of these glitzy commercials portraying a certain Wichita mayor who is running for governor of Kansas as this nice, happy-go-lucky guy. Bob Knight constantly touts himself as a self-made man who grew up poor and has beaten the odds. Funny, you'd think that a person with this profile would be compassionate and humble toward the average, ordinary citizen. Let me tell you a story about this man who preaches about how the community should draw together to support each other through these tough times when he opens the city council meetings. I had an appointment with...

One GOP campaign conducted a poll last weekend and sees 50% undecided, 15% each for Dave Kerr and Tim Shallenburger, and 20% for Bob Knight

Meet Tim Shallenburger Republican Candidate for Governor Monday, July 22, 7 p.m. Manhattan Public Library 629 Poyntz Ave, Corner of Poyntz and Juliette All Are Welcome to Attend Questions? Call the campaign at 785-862-1200

Not long ago, traditional Republicans from Johnson County viewed Dave Kerr as their unlikely favorite for the party's nominee for Governor of Kansas. The State Senator was considered too conservative. As president of the Kansas Senate, Kerr has been tightfisted and, some would say, regressive. For better or worse, Kerr has led the parade for no tax increases. Moderates have grumbled about Kerr for years. Kerr has been too far right to be embraced by many in Johnson County leadership. Then, things changed. After Attorney General Carla Stovall dropped out of the gubernatorial race, the very far-right State Treasurer Tim...

Two top Kansas Republicans are taking sides in the race for their party's nominee for attorney general. U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback has endorsed Phill Kline of Shawnee; Gov. Bill Graves has endorsed state Sen. David Adkins of Leawood. Adkins and Kline will face each other in the Aug. 6 Republican primary. Brownback, in a news release, called Kline the kind of conservative leader Kansas needs for attorney general. He praised Kline's leadership in the Legislature, where he served from 1993 to 2000. "I am confident that he will continue to lead with character and integrity while serving as attorney general...

K-12 education can't be helped by harming small business, at least not for long. When today's students go into the workforce, 15% of them will work for government. 36% will work for big business. And 49% will own or work in a small business. Cannibalizing small business will eliminate the very jobs students hope to fill. Those same percentages hold for the families of teachers-half of family members work in a small business. Conversely, half of students are the children of small business owners and employees who want those children to have an excellent education. The 2002 Kansas Legislature made...

About three months ago, Dave Lindstrom said he never considered getting into political office. Now he's running for the second highest one in the state. Lindstrom, running mate to Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Shallenburger, was in Garden City this morning to visit friends and speak about his platform. Perhaps best known for his nine years during the late 1970s to mid-1980s as a defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs, Lindstrom also is the franchise owner of four Burger King restaurants. He said in early May, Shallenburger called and said he wanted Lindstrom as his lieutenant governor, partially because he...

Two years ago, the world watched as moderates and conservatives battled for control of the Kansas Board of Education. The moderates won and quickly reversed a 1999 decision to downplay the teaching of evolution. Then the board faded from the national news. Commentators, who contended the evolution fight had made Kansas a laughingstock, turned their concerns elsewhere. Now conservatives are quietly working for a comeback in the Aug. 6 primary. Their goal: changes in education, from funding of public schools to how science is taught. "They may be very quiet about it, but I believe it is clearly the situation...

<p>A candidate for the Kansas statehouse bought and altered yard signs of a rival political group for her own campaign, drawing complaints of dirty politics and deception.</p> <p>The group's signs urge Johnson County voters to "elect candidates who will fund our public schools" -- a campaign by the Kansas Families United for Public Education to oust conservative lawmakers who oppose tax increases for education.</p> <p>This weekend, state Rep. Mary Pilcher Cook, a Shawnee Republican, began using the signs for her own race for re-election -- even though the group endorsed her opponent.</p>