Diversity Lane, A Liberal Family Saga

by Zach Rawsthorne. Re-published with permission.

Kansas Secretary of State Republican primary: J.R. Claeys vs. Kris Kobach

J.R. Claeys is a Republican candidate for Kansas Secretary of State.  By all accounts, if it were most other races, Claeys would be a strong candidate: he talks like a conservative, and he has a strong resume for his young age of 31.  But Claeys’ opponent is Kris Kobach, whose background and qualifications are as impressive as one can find, anywhere: (more…)

Benjamin Hodge wrote this article at Red County in May 2009:

When the National Republican Senatorial Comittee, headed by Senators John Cornyn and Mitch McConnell, decided to back Florida Governor Charlie Crist over former Florida Speaker of the House Marco Rubio, Redstate’s Erick Erickson began aFacebook group called “Not one penny to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).” At present time, there are 1,085 members, and I’m one of them.

It appears there are two major arguments with regard to primary races:  issues, and strategy.  And Erickson is getting heat from some Republicans with those two themes:  that either Erickson is not being tolerant to GOP moderates on issues, and/or that Erickson is not focusing on the idea that Crist is the best general-election candidate. (more…)

In mid-2009, former State Senator and newly-announced 3rd Congressional District Republican candidate Nick Jordan released a statement about Obama’s “stimulus.” In the statement, Jordan says that “There have been many unrealistic promises made regarding stimulus spending,” but he also writes, “Overland Park has worked hard to plan and begin this project, a needed project along with others in the area.”

Jordan wants it both ways: he wants to appear anti-stimulus, but he refuses to criticize the spending by local government — spending that is made possible directly through the $1 trillion deficit spending by President Obama and Dennis Moore’s Democratic Congress.  Jordan wants to criticize Democrats for spending too much money, but he is incapable of criticizing the spending decisions of the “moderate Republicans” who consistently mis-manage taxpayer money in local governments throughout Johnson County.   (more…)

From JCCC:

FOUR HONORED WITH TEAM EFFORT AWARD

A reception was held on Friday, Dec. 11, to honor Julie Haas, Melodee Blobaum, Del Lovitt and Dan Holmes with a Team Effort Award for their collaboration in creating the new Johnson County Education site.

The site is very engaging with photos from the schools, Twitter updates and links to articles and meetings specifically related to education in Johnson County.  It provides a central collection point of information for K-12 and higher education in Johnson County.

This project directly supports multiple JCCC strategic goals by “expanding our network of support services to engage students more actively in the JCCC learning experience”, serving as an initiative that provides for the inclusion of a diverse group of individuals in the discussion of K-12 and higher educational topics and by enhancing communication with external constituents.  The nomination was made by Mary O’Sullivan.

JCCC President Terry Calaway praised the team’s efforts and presented each recipient with a certificate and JCCC keychain.

The Team Effort Award is a means to recognize the accomplishments of groups (task forces or cross functional teams) who collaborate on projects that work toward achieving goals in the Strategic and/or Operational Plans of JCCC.  Nomination forms are available online at the Staff Development web page and may be sent to the Staff and Organizational Development office, GEB 238, Box 43, at any time.  Awards are made a few times each year.  If you have questions, please contact Kathy Wing at ext. 4513 or kwing3@jccc.edu.

Read more at Diversity Lane.  Re-published with permission.

Proud Catholic Voters,

I bring you salutations and praise, dear reader! At the time of this writing, there have been over 282,000 wise souls sign up to become Proud Catholic Voters!

Okay, they’re not all in my distribution list yet, but their intent is the same, and it’s something about which to be really excited. I’m referring to the Manhattan Declaration, a document unprecedented in American church history. Reminiscent in some ways of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, it’s a unified call by believers from all Christian traditions (Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical) to confront our toxic culture with biblical absolutes. (more…)

By Jack Cashill.  Read more from Cashill at Cashill.com.

Climategate, TWA Flight 800, and Andy Revkin

© Jack Cashill

The respective investigations into the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 and into climate change have something very specific in common beyond the corruption of results for political ends.

That is the role of the New York Times, in particular Times’ environment reporter Andrew Revkin, in enabling that corruption.

In both cases, Revkin and the Times would pick sides in a scientific controversy, cozy up to the side picked, champion its counterfeit data, and marginalize the opposition.

As to “Climategate,” the emails hacked from the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit show Revkin very much an active participant in the information flow. (more…)

By Toby Dials.  Re-printed with permission.

Donate to and learn more about these candidates.

• In Johnson County:
  • District 16:  Amanda Grosserode’s page is Amanda4Kansas.com.
  • District 18:   John Rubin is at JohnRubin.net.
  • District 22:  Greg Smith’s site is GregSmithforKansas.com.
• In Wichita, district 87, currently held by Raj Goyle:  Candidate Eric Payne at EricPayneforKansas.com.

Thomas Scherer, Merriam, just might be the Energizer Bunny of local politics when it comes to seeking the 3rd District congressional seat being vacated by Democratic incumbent Dennis Moore, Lenexa.

Scherer, a self-described fiscal conservative, has been campaigning for the seat since 2004.

Scherer is one of four Republicans to have officially filed with the Federal Election Commission for the 3rd District U.S. House seat. The other three are Republicans Daniel Gilyeat, Patricia Lightner and John Rysavy.

Former State Sen. Nick Jordan, who lost to Moore in 2008, did not terminate his campaign committee and last week said he would again seek the Republican nomination to replace Moore.

According to Kansas Reporter:

Kansas Reporter is an online news service providing original reporting on Kansas government. The state capital bureau in Topeka is staffed by two full-time, experienced journalists. Their work will be published online and accessible for everyone to read. It is also available as a free “wire service” to all media outlets.

KansasReporter is a project of Kansas Policy Institute. KPI launched this service to help fill a void created by the unfortunate reduction in media resources devoted to state government news coverage. Our mission is to ensure that government is held accoutable to all Kansans and to examine issues from all sides. (more…)

Click here to visit and join the Facebook page for the upcoming conservative site “RightOSphere.”

Benjamin Hodge writes at RedCounty.com:

A few big-government Republicans are attempting to hand-pick former Kansas Senator Nick Jordan as the Republican candidate for the 3rd Congressional District.

Nick Jordan, who was a state senator through the end of 2008, lost his senate district to incumbent Democratic Congressman Dennis Moore. But conservative Republican Mary Pilcher Cook won that state senate race against her Democratic opponent — and relatively easily (about 55% of the vote) — in a very tough year for Republicans in Johnson County. There are seven senate districts in Johnson County, and forty districts in total across the state.

Senator Pilcher Cook has endorsed former State Representative Patricia Lightner over former Sen. Nick Jordan in the August 2010 Republican primary.

Click here to read more.

We’ll let you know more, as it’s available.

PATRICK HENRY ONCE SAID THAT LIBERTY IS NEVER SECURE AS LONG AS GOVERNMENT DOES BUSINESS IN SECRET.

Unfortunately, events do occur in Kansas that our Founding Fathers would deem unacceptable. So, from time to time, you will be receiving “The Liberty Sentinel,” an article about open government that may be of interest to you. If you have questions regarding the following information, please contact the contributing newspaper or Kansas Press Association at rgannon@kspress.com.

The Liberty Sentinel

(Wamego Times) Pottawatomie County Commissioners Stan Hartwich and Corwin Seamans have reached a settlement agreement with the county attorney regarding alleged violations of the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA).
The agreement, signed September 28 by the two commissioners, and October 5 by Pottawatomie County Attorney Sherri Schuck, outlines remedies for what Schuck previously described as “unintentional” violations of KOMA by Hartwich and Seamans.

In the settlement, Hartwich and Seamans agree to pay a fine of $100 each to the county general fund, with the fine to be stayed if, within six months, they attend a minimum of one hour of training on KOMA with an attorney of their choice. Proof of the training must be submitted to the county attorney.

The agreement further states that “…should they engage in any future breach of the KOMA, this agreement shall become null and void and the County Attorney may institute prosecution based upon the facts and admissions contained herein.”

Schuck initiated an investigation into the KOMA violations after receiving written complaints from two citizens–Judson Jones and Oscar Gideon–regarding the regular commission meeting of May 4.

Her investigation into the complaints determined that no executive session or closed meeting was called May 4, but that a letter was issued May 5–signed by both Hartwich and Seamans–changing some provisions of the employment contract of County Administrator Robert Reece.

“The execution of such letter containing changes in the county administrator’s contract violated the Kansas Open Meetings Act,” according to the settlement agreement.

Read more at Red County.

RedState.com’s Erick Erickson announced that by noon today (Wednesday, Oct. 28), conservatives will know the “leaders who will stand with us, not suck up to us” by their clear support of Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman in New York’s congressional election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

In Kansas, 4th District Congressman Todd Tiahrt has alone met the standard set by Erick Erickson.

US Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) endorsed Jerry Moran over Todd Tiahrt.  But since the endorsement, the New York race is one of two major events which have aligned DeMint closely with Tiahrt. (more…)

Benjamin Hodge writes at Race42012.com.

The new missile plan from US President Barack Obama’s administration raises questions and Moscow is waiting for Washington to explain its intentions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

US Senate 2010 — Congressman Moran votes for massive pork legislation; Congressman Tiahrt one of only 66 votes against amendment

A recent vote in the US House raises questions about First District Congressman Jerry Moran’s claim that he is more more fiscally conservative than his opponent in the 2010 Republican primary for the US Senate, Fourth District Congressman Todd Tiahrt.

Yesterday, the House voted on an amendment that proponents called the “Travel Promotion Act of 2009.”  But the Club for Growth called it “a $400 million slush fund controlled by the tourism industry.”  South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint wrote a Washington Post op-ed where he called the legislation “Fannie Travel” and “a $400 million corporate welfare boondoggle.”

The final vote results show that Jerry Moran voted for this travel industry bailout, while Todd Tiahrt was one of only 66 votes (all Republicans) against it.  For reasons unknown, Sen. DeMint endorsed Moran over Tiahrt for the Kansas Senate race.

This is what Club for Growth wrote in yesterday’s “Key Vote Alert”:

KEY VOTE ALERT
“NO” ON TRAVEL PROMOTION ACT OF 2009 (HR 2935, S 1023)

The proposal would set up a new $400 million slush fund called the “Travel Promotion Fund” that would be run by the tourism industry itself to promote tourism. This inefficient allocation of money would prevent tourists from spending that same money on shopping, food, and other expenses. This fund would also put into place yet another private-public spending program that can be expanded and abused using tax dollars, much like what happened with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Furthermore, foreign governments will likely retaliate with similar protectionist taxes on American tourists, making this even more senseless. A far better alternative would be to cut corporate taxes so that the tourism industry has additional resources to promote their own services.

The Club for Growth urges all members of Congress to vote “NO” on the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (HR 2935/S 1023). The bill is expected to be considered as early as this week in both chambers. This vote will be included in the Club for Growth’s 2009 Congressional Scorecard.

This bill would “promote leisure, business, and scholarly” travel to the United States by taxing these same travelers.

In August 2009, the Club for Growth released its “2009 House RePORK Card,” which measured the votes of all 435 House members on 68 amendments.  Moran touted his 96% rating from Club for Growth, earned by voting for 65 of the 68 amendments.  Tiahrt scored a 29%, voting for 20 of the 68 amendments.

But Moran’s 96% rating in 2009 cannot be viewed by Kansas voters as reliable evidence of his future voting record as a Senator.  In the previous rating by Club for Growth in the group’s 2007 RePORK Card, Congressman Moran scored only a 4% by voting for just 2 of the 50 amendments looked at by Club for Growth.  Tiahrt voted for none of the amendments that year and scored a 0%.

A separate measurement by Club for Growth is through the group’s annual “scorecards,” which both score Congressmen on a scale of 1 to 100 (with 100 being the best) and also rank Congressmen from 1 to 435 (with number 1 being the best, 435 the worst).  In 2008, Club for Growth scored Moran at 76/100 and Tiahrt at 74/100.  In 2007, Moran only scored a 45/100 and Tiahrt earned an 80/100.

Link.

Mark Levin, radio host and author of best-selling book “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto,” has endorsed Kansas’ 4th District Congressman Todd Tiahrt for the US Senate.  The reason: John McCain has endorsed 1st District Congressman Jerry Moran for the same race.  Both Tiahrt and Moran are Republicans, and will face off in the August 2010 primary election.

On Friday, Oct. 2, Levin said, “Don’t follow this McCain. As I said, anyone he endorses we must reject.”

On the Tiahrt-Moran race, Levin said, “Now what else do we have? Now we have somebody named Jerry Moran.  McCain formally endorsed Republican Rep. Jerry Moran in the Kansas Senate primary campaign against his more outspoken conservative opponent, Rep. Todd Tiahrt, and hosted a Capitol Hill fundraiser for Moran.  Ladies and gentlemen in Kansas, Todd Tiahrt, he’s our man. Jerry Moran is a McCainiac. I’m just telling you. This is pathetic.”

Below is a partial transcript of Friday’s show.

(more…)

I pray this note finds you well and enjoying the cooler weather!

Our family enjoyed the weather this weekend as we traveled to the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota to cheer-on our seven-year-old son Athan in the National Pedal Pull. Athan pedaled his heart out this summer taking first place in our home county of Meade — and then second place at the State Fair in Hutchinson. And this weekend was his chance to compete for a National title. (more…)

Democrat Candidates Should Return ACORN-Tainted Money
SEIU Contributions to Candidates, Party at Issue

For Immediate Release Contact: Lisa Burgess
September 30, 2009 (785) 766-0663

TOPEKA, KS - The Kansas Republican Party calls for Democratic candidates to return all contributions received from the Service Employees International Union, a big labor group closely affiliated with the scandal-plagued organization ACORN. Following SEIU’s request to Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services Secretary Don Jordan for private employee contact information, the Republican Party finds that several political organizations received money from the ultra-liberal labor union. (more…)