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To Rebuild or Not to Rebuild?

Wed, 16 May 2007 14:40:34 GMT

I wanted to submit todays post as a question rather than an opinion. There has been a growing sentiment over the last week that is...while not a cause for concern...maybe "out of character". Several people, including a KSU professor quoted in USA Today have started talking about NOT rebuilding Greensburg.

Populations in rural Kansas have been on the decline for decades. The majority of the people who live in Greensburg are elderly and no longer contributing to the economic development of the town. Most, if not all, of the businesses were destroyed leaving many people without the means to a stable income AND leaving many people without a job.

I've actually spoken with a few of the Air National Guardsmen who've been out there helping with the clean up and (by the sounds of it) most of the people they talk with have nothing left, had no savings, have no car, have no job because their job or business is completely gone. Many of those people were just going to get on a bus and head to the nearest city to start over.

So really, that begs the question, does Greenburg need to be rebuilt? SHOULD we rebuild Greensburg if it means syphoning a LOT of insurance and state money into a community that has little hope of fully recovering?

From Wikipedia:

In the city the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 26.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The population of the town from just 2000 was down almost 10% in 2007 (from 1572 to 1452) BEFORE the tornado.

~Dubya

The Fight over Greensburg

Wed, 09 May 2007 13:29:05 GMT

Sebelius and Bush were arguing back and forth via proxy yesterday and this morning regarding the resource gap created by the extended duration of the National Guard deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sebelius complained of the State's inability to support the mission while the White House claimed Kansas had not made any requests for National support outside of radio equipment.

Later in the day yesterday, Sebelius' spokesman backpeddled by saying the Governor was not claiming they couldn't support THIS mission, only that any further problems would be unsupportable by current inventory in the Guard.

The White House backed down by acknowledging that Kansas had, in fact, asked for considerably more than radio equipment.

This country has gone beyond the point of reason; finger-pointing is almost expected in any given situation. A terrorist attack happens, By God, you better find out who is to blame..who is to crucify. An untrackable, unexpected CAT5 tornado with 205mph winds destroys a town in the blink of an eye and just 10 people lose their lives (when it could have been MUCH worse, is all I mean by "just")...damn it, someone is at fault because we haven't been able to get it cleaned up in a week.

Bush is actually in Kansas right now, and should be making a speech from Greensburg at around 10am CST. What good does that do? The money they've spent on getting the president out to Greensburg could have been spent on more emergency crews. Is there a morale boost associated with the President being on site?

~Dubya

"Adjustment Disorder" in Abortion Patients

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:40:30 GMT

Submitted by S. Davis

Pro-Life activists are asking the legislature to require Paul Morrison to go forward with charges against abortion doctor, George Tiller, that were initiated by former KS AG, Phill Kline:

http://kansas.com/205/story/29297.html

The Kansas statute that allows late term abortion states:

"No person shall perform or induce an abortion when the fetus is viable unless such person is a physician and has a documented referral from another physician not legally or financially affiliated with the physician performing or inducing the abortion and both physicians determine that: (1) the abortion is necessary to preserve the life of the pregnant woman; or (2) a continuation of the pregnancy will cause a substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman."

According to Pro-Life activists, Tiller used the DSM diagnosis “Adjustment Disorder” to justify late term abortions in some of the cases that Kline wished to prosecute. Adjustment Disorder, according to the American Psychiatric Association involves an identifiable stressor and a reaction to this stressor which involves one or both of the following:

Marked distress that is in excess of what would be expected from exposure to the stressor
Significant impairment in social, occupational or educational functioning

http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx6.htm

The usual treatment for adjustment disorders is psychotherapy:

http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx6t.htm

If the symptoms of an adjustment disorder last longer than 6 months, the clinician must then consider other diagnoses given the duration of the problems.

I am not aware of any study that claims to know what variables would predict the course of symptoms of an adjustment disorder, or for that matter any psychiatric diagnosis. Therefore, I am wondering if on a technical grounds, The Pro-Life activists don’t in fact have a case that these diagnoses ARE NOT sufficient grounds to justify an abortion – as the statute is now written.

Illegal Immigration in Kansas

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:33:11 GMT

Recently the House approved a law denying benefits to illegal immigrants. Benefits such as welfare, health care, etc. This is a good thing, in my opinion. You and I are paying for these people each and every time they utilize these resources with no contribution whatsoever from the person receiving the benefit....this law also increases the sanctions and penalties the State can apply to businesses who hire illegal immigrants.

Yesterday, reportedly, the State House and Senate also approved a bill requiring businesses who DO hire illegal immigrants to pay them minimum wages? I guess I can see the idea behind this; by paying them minimum wage, it decreases the incentive for businesses to hire illegal immigrants because they would (in theory) have to pay them the same as a regular citizen.

I say "in theory" because what is this law REALLY going to accomplish? The aliens are there working ILLEGALLY. So what if I don't pay them minimum wage...if they want to continue to work, are they really going to say anything to anyone?

It just seems like more fluff or garnish on top of a growing problem. It's going to take more than just unenforceable laws to stem the tide of illegal immigration. If the number are correct, some immigration watch-dogs estimate some 70,000 illegal immigrants in Kansas. That's 2% of the total population!

It's going to take added pressure from non-partisan, independent organizations like "We Hire Aliens" http://www.wehirealiens.com to bring added pressure against these companies who hire illegal immigrants.

~Dubya

Don't Call Me!!

Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:02:35 GMT

Everyone get ready....if you haven't signed up yet on the "Don't Call List" for Kansas, you had better be prepared for those dinner-time phone calls again starting around July.

The 2002 Kansas Don't Call List is set to end its 5-year limit this summer and people who are unaware of that limitation will mostly likely be a little annoyed when the phones start ringing again.

According to the Wichita Eagle, there were more than 7,000 complaints resulting in more than $200,000 in fines over the last 5 years.

You seriously must hate yourself and be a glutton for punishment to take a job like this. How can you possibly expect to leave work feeling as though you accomplished something when all you hear is the *Click* of the phone hanging up 1,000 times each day. And if you've ever SEEN one of these call centers...you couldn't ask for a more hostile work environment. 250-500 people crammed in one large bull-pen, all trying to talk over each other....all of them miserable and hoping one of their deskmates doesn't pull out a shotgun and go-to-town as a result...brutal.

Maybe you could just try what I do and shut off the land-line, going strictly with the cell phone. We haven't used a house phone for years. The last phone in our house was simply because the phone company (who we had our internet through) required a phone line in order for the DSL to work....it's a conspiracy!!

Anyway, not having a telephone in your house not only saves money but that Chad guy is also fun to hang out with... hehe

~Dubya

The Horn of Africa and Derby

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 16:56:26 GMT

Did you know there were 1800 US troops in the "Horn of Africa"? Where is the "Horn", you ask? Think Somalia and you're in the right area. You don't hear about it any more because troops aren't dying there. They are working with the local governments that include Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Eritria, etc. in an attempt to peacefully weed out the subversive Al Qaeda influence in the area.

You might have actually heard in recent news that "peaceful" to the military doesn't always mean "without arms", as a AC-130 gunship was spotted assisting Ethiopian troops in Mogudishu last week. To give you an idea of what we're talking about here, the SPECTRE AC-130 gunship has enough firepower to fill every square inch of a football field inside of 60 seconds. Every single square inch. So there is still SOME fighting going on there, but by and large, it's a peaceful mission.

OK, so why am I talking about it? Because Chief Master Sgt. John Harris, a graduate of Derby, KS, is basically number two in charge of the operation reporting as an advisor to Rear Admiral Rich Hunt.

This is important because its Kansans helping people; helping people on the other side of the world. Harris has been in the AF since 1980 and is helping lead this troup of 1800 men that cover an area roughly 2/3 the size of the continental United States. 1800 men.

It is spectacular. It is amazing and Kansans should count themselves lucky to have a hero of this caliber representing us on the other side of the planet.

The Combined Joint Task Force MUST be doing a terrific job, because everyone knows the media would be on it like flies on horse**** if there was any human suffering to be broadcast. Good news on TV? The ratings would suck!! :)

"A lot of people try to paint this as a religious war, but it's not that at all," Harris said. "It's about making sure that extremism that fosters terrorism doesn't prevail."

If you know the Harris family, give them a thumbs-up and a gracious thank you from yours truly.

~Dubya

$100 Million!?

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:34:27 GMT

The Kansas Lotto is up to $100 tonight; if you're a gambler and are feeling lucky - today's the day to buy!!

~Dubya

Sebelius in the White House...

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 17:26:45 GMT

Well, if there was EVER an indicator that the news media, by and large is flying their flag from Left field, it's definitely apparent in the latest rhetoric spewing forth from Newsweekly.

"Sebelius easily won re-election this fall, and has emerged as the dean of a new breed of Democrats taking over what was once reliably red terrain. "

New breed of Democrat? Yea...it's called Republican. Sebelius is pro-military, pro-spending and pro-business. Hmmm...This report is so incredibly off-base it's amazing. Dumbfounding, even. It's really time for political change in this country. The "bi-partisan" BS is getting deeper and deeper with each passing election.

Kansas' Lieutenant Governor was "REPUBLICAN" before joining Sebelius' platform...which is, in and of itself, VERY REPUBLICAN-LIKE. She, like many other clever politicians these days, is claiming one party while appealing to the other.

Sebelius was re-elected for the same reason people like Sciortino were put out on the street; people voted Democrat regardless of their true leanings, regardless of their opinions, and regardless of any sense of reason.

Stupidity, more like it.

I think I've recounted this already on this blog, but I was standing not 5 feet from one of the Democratic hopefulls before the election when a man came up to her and told her he was voting Democrat and was voting for her. He then proceeded to tell the woman he didn't know her NAME (ergo, nothing at all about her, her platform, or her experience), but he was damn sure going to vote for her. Wow.

All it amounts to is another Non-Kansan (she's from Ohio) trying to use the State as a stepping stone towards something "greater".

~Dubya

Sebelius the Follower

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:44:39 GMT

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius told The Eagle editorial board recently that she’s not inclined to block the proposed coal-fired power complex near Holcomb. She said that “it is a very difficult issue to tackle on a state-by-state basis, because just having a policy in Kansas does not impact what happens in Oklahoma, Colorado, Missouri, which affects our air or our citizens’ health. It will affect our economy, but not necessarily improve health quality.” - From the Wichita Eagle

In other words, there's no reason for us to be concerned about the impact this prospective COAL BURNING plant will have on the environment because we can't affect policy in those other states. Everyone else is doing it, so we might as well. Everyone else litters and throws crap out of their car on the highway, so no one will care if I do it...

Wow. How spineless can you possibly be? Sebelius the Follower. Ol' Kathleen must have been one of the "Cool Kids" in school who did everything her other cool friends were doing and nothing else.

How very appropriate that she waits until she's elected for her second term before she starts making stupid and idiotic choices. Hell this isn't even a decision, this is just rolling over and submitting to her constituents because "everyone else is".

~Dubya

Another Top 10 in Kansas

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:06:03 GMT

According to a study done in D.C., Kansas scored 2nd in the Nation for preparedness against bioterrorism and "other public health issues", meeting 9 of the 10 criteria for safety.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/16221935.htm

The state that beat out Kansas? That's right, Oklahoma....

~Dubya

Commerce Bank is OK

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 18:05:28 GMT

Commerce Bank has signed a deal with South Tulsa Financial Corp. in a merger that will give them access into Oklahoma for the first time. It seems all kinds of Banks are expanding around the "booming" Wichita market.

For those of you who didn't know, Empire...er..Emprise Bank swallowed up Prairie State Bank in a merger last month that doubled their size in the Wichita market.

~Dubya

Brownback for President!

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 17:59:03 GMT

Senator Sam Brownback has just announced today he is forming a "exploratory committee" apparently to uncover whether or not a bid for President is in the cards.

The announcement has been a long time coming for many Kansans who haven't seen a Kansas President since Dwight D. Eisenhower. The true question is whether or not a Republican from Kansas has a hope of getting through the Primaries. Not only that, in the aftermath of this last mid-term election, does a republican have any hope at all of getting into the White House?

Let us know what you think! (FORUM)

Sen. Sam Brownback (LINK)

~Dubya

Wichita Airman Makes World News

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 18:10:39 GMT

If you haven't seen this little tidbit of news about the airman comforting an Iraqi child after her parents and siblings were gunned down in front of her, check out this picture for just a brief glimpse into how our soldiers, sailors and airmen ARE making a difference, despite media hype and bias.

Meet Chief Master Sergeant John Gebhardt from right here at McConnell AFB.

It's our service men and women over there like this who are truly making a difference in the daily lives of Iraq.

Check out the quote below if you think I'm being some sort of right-wing, blind-conservative. The Iraqis know we're helping them as well. It's hard to imagine with all the death and destruction on TV...but try :)

(CNSNEWS.com) U.S. media coverage of Iraq was so gloomy that during a recent visit to the U.S. the prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan wondered whether the situation had deteriorated to such a degree during his absence that he should stay away.

“CNN International and [Arabic television network] al-Jazeera are equally bad in their coverage of the situation in Iraq,” Kurdistan Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani was quoted as telling a visiting group of Americans on Monday.

“When I was in the United States recently and read the negative news in the Washington Post, New York Times and in the network TV broadcasts, I even wondered if things had gotten so bad since I had left that I shouldn’t return,” he said.

Barzani was speaking during a meeting with a group of Americans who have lost sons during the conflict in Iraq. The group is in the country, according to the trip organizers, to learn for themselves what their loved ones died for.

~Dubya

KState Fans Go Nuts After Victory Over UT

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 16:17:26 GMT

Well, they tried...obviously they tried...to take the goal posts down, but Kansas State University must have finally invested in super strong, fan-resistant uprights because, as you can see here, they ain't coming down.

With a huge upset victory over The University of Texas last saturday (November, 11th, 2006), Kansas State fans poured onto the field overwhelming security and making it extremely difficult for players, officials and other staff to even get off the field and back into the locker rooms.

With so many excited and elated KSU fans out there, is it any wonder that:

Now, as part of an exclusive KSU offer, you too can relive the moments of triump, the dashing foot work, the supreme air-game of the KSU victory over UT in this limited edition, collectors edition DVD!! Puke...It never ceases to amaze me how people will use any opportunity they can to make a quick buck off of the emotions of others.

Joy.

~Dubya

Guns don't kill people; they just permanently maim idiots...

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 03:47:01 GMT

My God...just when you think you've heard everything, some miscreant shows you just how INCREDIBLY wrong you are.

For those of you who haven't heard the story, let's give you a minute or two to catch up.

Not only are these not-quite-teenagers attempting to KIDNAP someone over a dispute concerning stereo speakers, but THEN the guy puts the pistol back in his pants and blows his nuts off! Not just ONE misfire, but TWO!

WOW.

How did this moron get a gun in the first place? I'll tell you how....you have to have CONTROL in order to responsibly allow people to wield firearms. It's somewhat implied in the phrase Gun Control.

I'm never one to say do away with guns entirely. How could we possibly get rid of first-rate assholes like this? The simple fact of the matter is Gun Control does a great job of keeping the guns out of the hands of people who use the legal, legitimate channels.

Guess what?! Criminals don't use LEGAL CHANNELS! I can almost guarantee you this lugnut DIDN'T HAVE A PERMIT for the pistol that blew his gonads through the back of his pants.

We don't need new laws that place more restrictions on people who purchase firearms....we NEED police and the FBI and the ATF taking these weapons off the streets! Get rid of the weapons; there is no need for a person to carry around a .45 Desert Eagle. Self-defense? Bullshit! Get the illegal weapons off the street and there won't be a need for hand-cannons as a method of "self-defense".

An amusing quote from the Wichita Business Journal this week: "Any businesses that plan to prohibit concealed handguns in their buildings will have to display specific signs, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline said Tuesday."

How..? What?.....WHAT? Again, this law doesn't necessarily affect the legal use of guns. Anyone following the law will have the appropriate training, licensing, etc. Those who aren't OBEYING the law won't care if they have the LEGAL right to carry a concealed weapon or not.

The PROBLEM is there is no need for it. Put more restrictions on gun MAKERS, limit or even eliminate the guns that get out onto the street and you won't NEED to carry a berretta in your coat pocket!

Am I the only one who sees this logic?

~Dubya