Kansas - Saturday Edition: Station pulls Kline ad, Barnett says he isn't a kook & more

Wichita TV station pulls Republican ad against Morrison AP reports:

A Wichita television station has stopped airing an ad from a Republican group criticizing Paul Morrison after the Democratic nominee for attorney general and Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius complained it was misleading.

KSNW, the city's NBC affiliate, made the decision Friday after consulting with its attorney, general manager Al Buch said. He said that while a station can't turn down an ad from a candidate, it has discretion when a spot comes from a non-candidate.

"Our attorney doesn't believe he could defend it," Buch said, declining to elaborate. "We are responsible for the content in essence."

The Wichita Eagle's WE Blog reports that Jim Barnett, the Republican candidate for governor, has been reduced to declaring "I am not a kook." Note that he also says he believes in evolution.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Johnson County soccer moms could be the edge that elects Democrat Paul Morrison attorney general.

The soccer crowd is expected to be driven to the polls by a ballot question about building new soccer fields in Overland Park. Some political observers think the more moderate soccer moms will vote for Morrison.

Here's a threat that might keep Johnson County voters from voting for Paul Morrison. The Kansas Star reports that "If Morrison wins AG race, Kline could become Johnson County DA."

The Wichita Eagle reports in more detail on former Attorney General Carla Stovall's endorsement of Morrison. The story notes that the Kline campaign is touting a new organization of Democrats who support Kline. So far Kline counts three supporters from the Democratic Party.

The Eagle also reports that Sebelius yard signs carry a price tag.

Kansas Evolution Election: Former GOP candidate endorses Democrat for state Board of Education

In what is becoming so common it is almost no longer news, yet another Kansas Republican is endorsing a Democrat.

This time it's Donna Viola, who lost the Republican nomination for the District 7 state Board of Education seat to the anti-evolution incumbent.

In a letter to the Hutchinson News, Viola writes that she is endorsing Democrat Jack Wempe.

Jack Wempe is running a bipartisan campaign, and I cannot and will not support the incumbent in this upcoming election. What the current majority of our State BOE has done and is continuing to do has undermined the intelligence of our kids in this state!

Hat tip to Red State Rabble.

Kansas Politics: Carla Stovall pounds what could be the final nail in Phill Kline's coffin

By Diane Silver

Dare I say it? Could we be watching the beginning of a political sea change? That phrase paints a picture of a cataclysmic transformation, and right now, folks, out here on the drought - plagued Great Plains such a wave might well be building.

And I do apologize for badly mixing my metaphors of tidal waves and coffins, but there is something wild and out of control about this moment in Kansas politics.

To the point...

When it comes to elections, it's never wise to declare victory before the votes are counted. I agree with Molly Ivins that we have a long way to go to Nov. 7. But in more than 20 years of watching and participating in Kansas politics, I never in my wildest dreams expected to see something like today's events.

On this sunny Friday, a former Republican attorney general, in this most Republican state of all, held a news conference to slam her Republican successor and endorse his Democratic opponent. This makes the second very Republican, former attorney general to attack Kline in one week.

Carla Stovall (Steckline), who held the attorney general's office from 1995 to 2002, attacked the current occupant of that post, Republican Phill Kline. Stovall told reporters she was endorsing Democrat Paul Morrison because "I care about the reputation of the office."

Stovall pointed to Morrison's "stellar record" of convicting criminals and noted that "the person is more important than the party."

The Wichita Eagle blog did the best job of capturing the emotion of the moment.

A visibly angry Stovall then proceeded to blast Kline on everything from his hiring of his legally challenged nephew as chauffeur (she said that neither she nor her predecessor, Bob Stephan, felt they were "important enough" to need drivers) to Kline's fishing expeditions of abortion records (showing his willingness to "violate privacy rights of Kansans to pursue a narrow personal agenda") to Kline's labeling of Senate Bill 323 as "Paul's policy" ("absolutely untrue") to the use of out-of-state attack ads ("despicable").

What makes Stovall's action even more incredible is its timing. It comes after her predecessor, Republican Bob Stephan, announced that he had recently quit his job as a special assistant to Kline. Stephan told reporters he had serious questions about the ethical nature of Kline's fundraising activities in churches.

Stephan did not come out and endorse Morrison, but there seems little doubt about who Stephan will support in the voting booth.

The Topeka Capital-Journal was so breathless about the open warfare between moderate Republicans and Kline -- the darling of the Religious Right -- that it left Morrison right out of it's headline -- "Ex-AG Stovall Endorses Kline's Opponent."

You do have to wonder. If the GOP can't hold itself together in Kansas, can it do so anywhere in the country?

Whatever today's events ultimately mean for the Republican Party in Kansas and in the nation one thing seems clear: If Kline happens to notice a tall guy in a black suit following him around with a measuring tape, our not-so-beloved attorney general might just want to run.

Kansas Politics: Kline supporters say he isn't a bottom feeder; newspaper cites new evidence

A handful of Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline's supporters picketed The Wichita Eagle today, complaining about The Eagle's editorial that claimed Kline had descended to "bottom-feeder politics."

Meanwhile, The Eagle provided new evidence that Kline's attempt to smear his Democratic opponent Paul Morrison was based on false information.

The Eagle's WE Blog explained the situation best.

Here's help for voting early in Kansas

Need help to vote early? Check out the Kansas Democratic Party's Early Voting page.

Washday at Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline's house

Wichita Eagle cartoonist Richard Crowson says it all. Crowson calls his cartoon "Washday."

Questions, answers & a call for an investigation of Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline

By Diane Silver

More news today on Phill Kline's church fundraising strategy...

* A Washington D.C. watchdog group,Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, called for an IRS investigation of Kline's church fundraising campaign. The head of the group called Kline's actions "egregious conduct."

* One clarification came out in Kline's favor. He spoke in July at the Light of the World Christian Center in Topeka. At that time, the minister at the church asked his congregation to write checks to the church, so that the church could write one check to Kline. The church sent that check to SWT Communications, a company owned by the Klines. SWT donated to Kline's campaign in June, the month before he spoke at Light of the World.

* Kline confirmed to The Kansas City Star that his wife's company often receives money from churches where he speaks.

Kline, who often preaches at churches throughout the state, said that congregations often make what he called "love offerings" to SWT Communications, operated by his wife, Deborah Kline. The company produces radio programs and church events and retreats. Kline's preaching is often featured during the events, he said.

SWT, by the way, is a money-making company, not a religious nonprofit.

Here's a key question: How much money has SWT gotten from these churches? What happened to that money?

The detail on Kline's church fundraising was revealed by former Kansas Attorney General Bob

Stephan said he resigned as a special assistant to Kline because of it. The Star reported:

Stephan said he also was bothered by the offering taken up at churches for the company owned by Kline's wife. He said he asked for a written accounting of the money and was told by Kline's staff that he wouldn't get one.

"And I said 'That's the end of that,'" Stephan said of his decision to quit.

The Topeka Capital-Journal also has an interesting story.

Advance voting has begun in Kansas

Advance voting started Wednesday. If you can't get to the polls on election day, get a ballot now and vote!

The key remaining dates in this election:

Monday, October 23rd * Deadline to register to vote

Friday, November 3rd * Deadline to apply for an advance ballot to be mailed

The most important date of all:

Tuesday, November 7th * General Election day

For more information about the process of voting in the Sunflower State, go to Vote Kansas.

Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline has descended to "bottom-feeder" politics

By Diane Silver

I didn't write it. The Wichita Eagle editorial board did, declaring that Kline Resorts to Bottom-Feeder Politics.

It was all about Kline's attempt to smear his Democratic opponent, Paul Morrison, and also oddly enough, about weasels.

Since the poor tiny animal was coming in for such an attack, I thought I'd post a photo of a white weasel. It's kind of cute, actually. Oh, and as far as I can tell, weasels aren't bottom feeders.

To steal a line from a wonderful journalist... and so it goes.

Kansas Politics: Bad call by Paul Morrison

By Diane Silver

I like Paul Morrison. I think he'll make a much better attorney general than Phill Kline. Morrison actually has the experience, and the character to do the job.

However, I agree with Rhonda Holman at the Wichita Eagle's blog. Morrison's campaign did go too far in a recent TV commercial.

Holman wrote:

But Paul Morrison, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, overdid it with his television ad about Kline's hiring of Bryan Brown to be the office's consumer protection chief. The ad's mug shot and portentous text would lead many voters to conclude that Brown's 12 arrests were for violent felonies

Brown's arrests were for anti-choice protests.

I think anti-choice protestors are awful, but I also believe in the right to protest. I've never equated getting arrested, for example, for an anti-war protest with being a felon. If I have the right to protest from the left wing and possibly get arrested and not be seen as a dangerous criminal, then the same has to go for the right wing of our lovely country.

There are so many questions one can raise about Kline that a campaign doesn't have to stretch to do that.

I've worked on campaigns, I know the temptation to go a bit far, but it's always a bad idea. At the very least, it undermines your own credibility.

Kansas Transformation: Yet more on the Republican exodus

By Diane Silver

Once again, we got the big story today about how moderate Kansas Republicans are really peeved at the Religious Right wing of their party, and how top GOP leaders have jumped ship to the Democratic Party.

This is a valid and important story that I worry may be getting a bit overblown right now. Don't get me wrong. This is a real change in red-state Kansas, but how much of a change is actually occurring remains to be seen.

I'd be a lot more impressed with The Washington Post if the story hadn't already been reported for months now by everyone from the Kansas media, to bloggers, to Salon.com.

It's fascinating to watch the national media pick up on this story. I hadn't realized before how long it takes for this kind of information to filter out to the mainstream.

This is your brain on drugs

By Nancy Jane Moore

The Society for Neuroscience heard a report on Wednesday about a drug that may ease the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

The drug? Marijuana.

In fact, the study apparently provides data supporting an earlier report that people who smoked a lot of pot in the 1960s and 70s seem to be at lower risk for Alzheimer's than others of the same age.

Apparently marijuana does affect your brain. Only instead of destroying your memory, as all the public interest commercials say, it makes it better. Getting stoned in your youth turns out to be one of the best things you could do for your old age.

Kind of jerks the rug out from under that old joke about those who remember the Sixties weren't there, doesn't it?

According to the story I read on the Reuters news wire on Wednesday (no longer available online), the study was conducted on rats by a professor at Ohio State University. The study showed that marijuana reduces inflammation in the brain.

New Scientist magazine also has a report on the study.

Actually, this is not the first research on the subject. The BBC published information back in 2005 about a Spanish study that was written up in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Here's the thing in the news reports that makes me believe that this is real science and not something from the Onion that got loose accidentally: Researchers are trying to figure out how to make a version of the drug that won't get people high. In fact, the BBC piece includes a comment from one of the Spanish researchers, Dr. Susanne Sorensen:

We would warn the public against taking marijuana as a way of preventing Alzheimer's.

Why? What's wrong with a drug that makes you feel good while making you healthier? Beats the hell out of most drug side effects.

In all seriousness, these studies provide more evidence that marijuana is, in fact, a valuable medical resource. Certainly there is enough evidence of medical value to encourage much more research. Yet our government is still going to war against it -- even prosecuting those who are using it to combat the nausea of chemotherapy.

That doesn't make much sense to me. But then, this is the same government that subsidizes tobacco farming. And tobacco really is bad for you.

The moral of this story? Take all lectures on morality with a grain of salt. It is possible for something to be pleasurable and good for you.

And don't forget to inhale.

Torture is now legal in the United States

By Nancy Jane Moore

The detainee torture bill is now the law of the land. No one doubted that Bush would sign it, and he did so on Tuesday. Once the Senate caved in, there wasn't any way to stop it.

By the way, Bush didn't issue a signing statement with this law. Dan Froomkin reports that a reporter, surprised by the lack of a statement, observed, "This just seems like the kind of bill where there are a lot of things to be interpreted," to which Press Secretary Tony Snow replied, "They did a really good job this time."

That should be enough right there to tell you that Bush didn't compromise on anything. Sens. McCain, Lindsay, & Graham (R-Lapdogs) postured a bit, but they were apparently just putting on a show.

In fact, Froomkin also quotes this exchange from the press briefing:

Q: Do you think -- this has been described as a compromise. The President basically got everything he wanted, didn't he?
MR. SNOW: Pretty much, yes.

The only good news is the amount of criticism the law is getting. A lot of people seem to think it's going to run headlong into the Constitution. David G. Savage writes in the Los Angeles Times:

Many legal scholars predict the law's partial repeal of habeas corpus will be struck down as unconstitutional.

Savage quotes the relevant language from the law:

No court, justice or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider an application for a writ of habeas corpus filed by or on behalf of an alien detained by the United States who has been determined ... to have been properly detained as an enemy combatant or is awaiting such determination.

That last phrase is the one that gets me: "awaiting such determination." They don't even have to say you're an enemy combatant; they just have to say they're holding you while they're deciding whether to call you an enemy combatant. That's it. No rights.

The LA Times also piece provides a nice quote from Hofstra University Law Professor Eric M. Freedman, an expert on habeas corpus:

This is an outright slap at the Supreme Court, and it is heading for invalidation. ... This is a core principle of law that was established by the prisoners who were tossed into the Tower of London by the king, and it was preserved in the Constitution. Now, Congress is saying it doesn't apply to this disfavored group of prisoners.

I certainly agree with Professor Freedman's assessment of the law and I sure hope he's right about the Supreme Court. But because of earlier "compromises" on filibuster made by the so-called opposition party (that's D-Lapdogs), the court has moved farther to the extreme right than I would have ever thought possible. I hope they can still cobble together a majority who believe in due process of law.

Juan Cole on Informed Comment says Bush is becoming like the Borg. Any day now, he expects to hear the man say, "Resistance is futile." His explanation of the law gets right to the nub of the matter:

In other words, we have to be confident that George W. Bush is so competent, all-knowing, and inherently just that we can just trust him. If he says someone is an enemy combatant, then he or she is. No need to check with a judge about why he or she is being held. And then Bush can have the suspect tortured to make him confess, and can convict him on the basis of the coerced confession, all in secret.

Professor Jack Balkin on Balkinzation addresses the torture part of the bill. He says the bill doesn't actually make torture legal; it just makes it impossible to prosecute any of the torturers:

The bottom line is simple: The [Military Commissions Act] preserves rights against torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, but it severs these rights from any practical remedy.

He goes on to say:

There are many things that are deeply distressing about the Military Commissions Act of 2006. One of the most distressing is its deeply cynical attitude about law. The President has created a new regime in which he is a law unto himself on issues of prisoner interrogations. He decides whether he has violated the laws, and he decides whether to prosecute the people he in turn urges to break the law. And all the while he insists that everything he does is perfectly legal, because, the way the law is designed, there is no one with authority to disagree.

It is a travesty of law under the forms of law. It is the accumulation of executive, judicial, and legislative powers in a single branch and under a single individual.

It is the very essence of tyranny.

I can't say it any better than that.

More detail & questions on Kansas attorney general deal

By Diane Silver

Here's the Topeka Capital-Journal's interview with former Attorney General Bob Stephan -- a Republican and former special assistant to Phill Kline.

Stephan raises troubling questions that shouldn't be lost in funny little headlines, such as the Capital-Journal used, "Kline Bedevils Stephan."

First, look at who is reporting this --> a GOP faithful who is a born-again Christian who was willing to work for Kline, and who just happens to be a former state attorney general.

Second, look at what Stephan is saying and at what Kline's people do NOT deny -->

1. Kline preached at a Topeka church.

2. The church's pastor told the congregation to write checks for Kline and told his congregation to make the checks out to the church.

3. The church wrote a check to a for-profit company owned by Kline's wife (or by both he and his wife. That point isn't clear yet.)

4. That company wrote a check to Kline's campaign.

I am not clear, yet, on the exact time of each event.

Third, this is important, Stephan says, because it makes it hard to tell who gave money to Kline's campaign. So far, no one is saying that laws were broken, but questions need to be asked about the details of these events.

The Capital-Journal reports:

In an interview, Kline said he wasn't required to make a public accounting of money he made while preaching. He also said none of the revenue generated through his for-profit corporation, SWT Communications Inc., had been moved into his re-election campaign. SWT stands for Staying With Truth.

"I can tell you SWT has not contributed to the campaign," Kline said.

However, his campaign spokeswoman later corrected Kline and revealed at least $1,181 from SWT was diverted this year to the campaign. That check was signed by Kline's wife, Deborah, who is president of SWT.

Former Kansas attorney general uncovers church incident & accuses Phill Kline of improper fundraising

A blockbuster story in the Lawrence Journal-World reports today that former Kansas Attorney General Bob Stephan resigned as special assistant to Phill Kline because of what Stephan says is improper fundraising.

Stephan told the Journal-World that he is most troubled by an incident where members of a Topeka congregation wrote checks to their church, which sent money to a for-profit business owned by Kline's wife. That business made a donation to Kline's campaign.

State officials said there is no evidence that a law was broken. Kline's people deny doing anything wrong.

Stephan is a Republican who served as attorney general from 1979 to 1991.

The entire story is worth reading, but I think the key part is buried. Here it is:

But Stephan said he was told by someone that after Kline spoke this summer at Light of the World Christian Center in Topeka, the minister asked congregants to write checks to the church, and then the church would write a check to SWT Communications, which produces radio spots about historical events that are sold across the state. (SWT Communications is owned by Kline's wife, Deborah.)

"That bothers me because the public doesn't know who is giving money to Phill Kline," Stephan said.

Stephan said he spoke with Kline's deputy chief Eric Rucker and former communications director Whitney Watson.

Stephan said they told him there was nothing wrong with the practice and they weren't going to change it, but that they wouldn't put their statements in writing, like he had asked.

At that point, "I said, 'Forget it, I'm off the train,'" Stephan said.

...Carol Williams, executive director of the Kansas Government Ethics Commission, said the state can't tell churches who they can give money to as long as "they're giving to the company, and that's where it stays," she said.

But, she said, it would be illegal for the church to give money to SWT Communications and for the company to then convert that to a donation to Kline's
campaign.

"You cannot give in the name of another," she said.

This is serious stuff. We need a deeper investigation into this to determine if anything illegal occurred.

Kansas Politics: Morrison's huge leap in polls comes from more exposure

Washburn University political science professor Bob Beatty says Democrat Paul Morrison has taken a huge lead in the attorney general race simply because voters are getting to know him. (I kid you not.)

A poll just released by Survey USA shows Morrison with a 13-point lead over incumbent Republican Phill Kline. Last month, the same poll showed Kline with a slight lead.

The Lawrence Journal-World quoted Beatty, in part:

What has happened in the last month? First, Kline's campaign was sidetracked for a week defending and talking about the leaked campaign memo (about fundraising in church congregations). Kline also received some criticism for comparing a staffer with abortion protest arrests to Martin Luther King.

But likely the most important factor is that Paul Morrison introduced himself in debates, but more importantly in TV ads, to voters who didn't know who the heck he was. You see this in the geographical poll numbers.

Morrison barely increases his support in Eastern Kansas but his numbers skyrocket in Western Kansas and Wichita. In Eastern Kansas likely voters seem to have made up their minds about Kline and Morrison (and they favor Morrison by 13-16 pts).

But through his TV ads Morrison has been able to "talk" to Kansans outside of Johnson and Shawnee Counties, and according to the poll, some Republicans and moderates, upon seeing who this guy is, shifted their weak support for Kline to support for Morrison.

Note that I added paragraph breaks to make the comments more easy to read and provided some context.

Kansas Politics: 2nd Congressional District & incumbent Republican Jim Ryun are "in play"

By Diane Silver

I'll be honest. I never thought Democrat Nancy Boyda had even a whiff of a chance of taking ultra-conservative Republican Jim Ryun's seat in the 2nd District. But today comes yet another sign that a Boyda victory is at least in the realm of possibility.

The National Journal's Hotline editor in chief, Chuck Todd, has just put the Kansas 2nd in the "in play" list.

Todd expanded his list from 50 seats to 60 and ranked the 2nd District as #59. In writing about the impact of Democrats' new enthusiasm on the entire election, Todd notes:

So, for instance, in a place like Kansas-02, the Democrat already has 41 percent compared to the incumbent Republican's 45 percent. The undecideds are probably too Republican for the Democrat to win, but still, the numbers aren't lying right now.

This is the first sign that independent polling shows Boyda within striking distance. As Todd says, the question now is what the undecideds will do. I'm not as certain of the outcome as Todd is.

Even though the undecideds may include more registered Republicans than registered Democrats, that doesn't mean they're Jim Ryun, Religious Right Republicans. I would suspect -- and this is only a guess -- that if they were in Ryun's religious and political camp, they would already be supporting him.

However, what may well turn this race into a Ryun victory is the fact that his larger campaign war chest will allow him to bury Boyda under negative commercials. Ryun's nasty ads are already appearing on Topeka TV.

Hat tip to Siege Mentality for pointing me to the posting. Ole' Mentality has his own analysis of the situation.

Kansas Politics: Poll shows Paul Morrison with 13-point lead over Phill Kline for attorney general

A new Survey USA poll shows Democrat Paul Morrison surging past Republican Phill Kline in hotly contested race for attorney general.

In a poll taken for The Wichita Eagle and KWCH over the weekend, The Eagle reports:

If the election were held now, 56 percent of those polled said they would vote for Morrison, a Democrat, and 43 percent said they would vote for Kline, a Republican.

The margin of error is plus or minus 4.3 percent. A Survey USA poll last month showed Kline slightly ahead.

The Eagle reports:

Almost all of the momentum for Morrison -- a former Republican -- came from Republican voters, according to Survey USA.

The poll also showed that Morrison had a large lead among women voters.

Kansas Politics: Weekend poll shows Gov. Kathleen Sebelius leading by 13 percent

A new Survey USA poll still shows Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius with a commanding lead over her Republican opopnent, state Sen. Jim Barnett.

The poll, conducted for The Eagle and KWCH 12 Eyewitness News, shows Sebelius leading Barnett 55 percent to 42 percent. A Survey USA poll taken Sept. 14 showed her with a 20 point lead.

A late September poll by Rasmussen Reports put Sebelius' lead at 48 percent to Barnett's 39 percent.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percent.

The results of the poll on the governor's race are near the end of a story on the results of the attorney general poll.

Declaring that he wants to campaign "on the issues," Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline gets personal

By Diane Silver

How do I honestly write about this?

Do I say there were dueling press conferences on Monday between Republican Attorney General Phill Kline and the wife of his Democratic opponent, Paul Morrison? In fact, there were. Both met with reporters at the Topeka Zoo, of all places.

Do I say, as the Topeka Capital-Journal did, that the attacks flung back and forth a sign of the intensity of the race? Oh yeah, that is certainly true.

Do I report, as many in the media did, that Kline declared that he just wanted to campaign on the issues, but that he needed to tell everyone about a sexual harassment lawsuit filed 15 years ago against Morrison?

The lawsuit was dismissed at every level. A witness called to support the accuser's story failed to do so. At one point, a judge stopped a trial as soon as the accuser's case was presented and dismissed the case. (See details from The Kansas City Star below.)

So, what do I report?

All of it, and let you decide.

For what it's worth, my take on this is that if the lawsuit had turned out differently, then we should be concerned about Morrison. If there were a pattern of harassment, then we should be concerned. So far, though, there is no evidence of that.

If anyone has any evidence, or a witness, I urge them to contact me at hopeandpolitics@yahoo.com, or to email any of the reporters who have covered the story. Heck, give your evidence to the Kline campaign. I doubt if they would sit on it.

Instead of a real issue, however, what seems to be happening is the death struggles of a desperate incumbent.

By the way, Kline held his press conference at the zoo to emphasize, he said, that Morrison is "weaseling."

Note to Kline: Zoo officials report that they don't have any weasels at the zoo.

The Kansas City Star has the best information on the lawsuit. Because details are important, I'm putting most of it here.

The lawsuit was filed by Kelly Summerlin, who was head of the district attorney's victim witness assistance program before she was fired in early 1991.

Summerlin alleged in a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and later in federal court that Morrison made comments to her of an inappropriate nature at a party in November 1990.

In an affidavit filed by Morrison, the district attorney said he made a comment at the party that Summerlin "looked attractive."

"I immediately recognized that she took the comment to mean much more than I intended and there was little additional discussion," he said in an affidavit, adding that he apologized the next day.

Summerlin was fired early the next year.

Her complaint with the EEOC was dismissed after the agency found that a witness offered by Summerlin "does not corroborate the allegation."

A lawsuit in federal court alleged that she was denied her right to challenge the firing.

Morrison and the Johnson County commissioners, who also were named in the suit, contended that Summerlin was fired for her poor management style and inability to get along with others.

After her attorney presented evidence at the trial, the judge stopped the trial and ruled in favor of Morrison and the commissioners.

Summerlin filed an appeal, but the judge later dismissed the lawsuit at the request of both parties.

Religious leaders protest signing of detainee & torture bill today

The Washington Region Religious Council Against Torture is protesting this morning as our not-so-beloved president signs the Millitary Commissions Act. Among many other dangerous providions, the bill suspends habeas corpus and allows George W. Bush to define what constitutes torture.

Protestors are gathering in front of the White House at 9 a.m.

The Council notes:

Any policies that permit torture, inhumane treatment and indefinite detention are shocking and morally intolerable. Lack of judicial oversight allows torture, abusive treatment and unjustifiable detention to continue without challenge.

Torture violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions hold dear. It degrades everyone involved - policy-makers, perpetrators and victims. It contradicts our nation's most cherished ideals.

Among the speakers at the event are:

• Rabbi Gerald Serotta, Temple Shalom, Chevy Chase, Maryland; Rabbis for Human Rights; National Religious Campaign Against Torture
• Rev. Scott Alexander, River Road Unitarian Church, Bethesda, Maryland
• Rev. Dr. Janet Parker, Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, Arlington, Virginia
• Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Shalom Center
• Bill Goodman, Center for Constitutional Rights

The signing of his bill marks a very sad day for the United States.

Some of In This Moment's previous coverage of the bill can be found here and here.

Hate Crimes

By Nancy Jane Moore

In the past month, we've had two shootings where a man entered a school and killed young women -- one in an Amish school and another in a Colorado high school. Ten girls were shot and five were killed at the Amish school; one girl died and others were molested in Colorado.

The young women were the targets of these crimes -- the boys were sent away. As Bob Herbert points out in a searing column in today's New York Times, if the killers had targeted the victims by race or religion, we would have labeled these murders for what they were: hate crimes.

But, Herbert points out:

None of that happened because there were just girls, and we have become so accustomed to living in a society saturated with misogyny that violence against females is more or less to be expected. Stories about the rape, murder and mutilation of women and girls are staples of the news, as familiar to us as weather forecasts. ...

The disrespectful, degrading, contemptuous treatment of women is so pervasive and so mainstream that it has just about lost its ability to shock.

Herbert's piece is only available online if you pay for Times Select, unfortunately. (I read the print version.) But if you find a copy of the Monday Times on your newsstand or in your library, I strongly recommend that you read it. He makes the real problem of violence against women in our society crystal clear. As he says:

We're all implicated in this carnage because the relentless violence against women and girls is linked at its core to the wider society's casual willingness to see them first and foremost as sexual vessels -- objects -- and never, ever as the equals of men.

I have seen little else in the news pointing out that women were the targets in these crimes. The one exception was Salon's Broadsheet column, which addressed this issue at the time of the shootings. Page Rockwell suggested that some might even call this terrorism, and observed:

In the context of our contested, combustible cultural debate about the status of women, violence against women and girls serves as a queasy reminder of what true, deranged misogyny looks like. It's shocking to see two targeted killings within a week of each other -- and to be reminded that a small subset of the population is fixated on terrorizing and killing girls they've never met.

I couldn't help but notice that young women were the targets of these crime, but I didn't even think about writing about the hate crime aspect of it. Perhaps it was so obvious to me that women were targeted that I didn't think it was something that needed saying. But it does.

It is very valuable to have a male writer -- particular one with Herbert's power and audience -- make the point that women are still viewed primarily as sex objects and that in twisted minds, such a viewpoint can lead to horrible violence.

Is there an effort to repress minority voting in Kansas?

By Diane Silver

I honestly don't know if this is a coincidence, stupidity or a calculated tactic. However, there are indications that some minorities are having a harder time registering to vote in Kansas, and may have a more difficult time getting into a voting booth on Nov. 7.

Kansas' top election official, Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh, is a Republican -- a party that isn't known for getting huge minority support. At the same time, part of the voting process in Kansas is also controlled by local officials.

The problems we're seeing may be simple stupidity or even coincidence, but no matter how they originated, they are still unforgivable. Unfortunately, it appears to be too late to change much before the election. The deadline for registering to vote is Oct. 23, a week away, and the election itself is only a few weeks away.

The Wichita Eagle reported two possible problems this weekend in a fascinating story.

The headline and lead focused on the difficulties of registering Spanish-language citizens to vote. The Spanish-language card produced by Thornburgh's office is so different from the English version, and so confusing, that it's nearly impossible to use, the newspaper said. The Eagle reported:

Adding to the confusion, no one speaks Spanish at the voter-information hotline number printed on the Spanish card....

"Whether it's deliberate or accidental, it has the potential to be disenfranchising to many voters," said Ernestine Krehbiel, co-president of the Wichita-Metro League of Women Voters.

And guess what: Complaints about the card aren't new. The Eagle reported:

State Rep. Delia Garcia, D-Wichita, said she's complained to election officials about them for months.

Thornburgh has said he plans to fix the problems, but even posting a new Spanish-language card on his web site now may be too late to make a difference in this election.

Buried in the story was another problem: Major cuts in the number of polling places in the state's two largest cities of Wichita and Kansas City.

Thornburgh's opponent in the election, state Sen. David Haley of Kansas City, said the problems are "a pattern of actions that dilute minority voting strength."

"Why do we have to always watch this man, after 12 years in office, to make sure he's not out suppressing votes?" Haley said.

Thornburgh has said he thinks polling places have been reduced too much, but those decisions were made at the county level, not by his office.

He said Haley's charges of voter suppression are "completely groundless."

"I've spent my entire career trying to get people to register and vote," he said.

Thornburgh is a moderate Republican. Up to this time, his reputation has always been, well, rather bland, but he has been seen as at least being competent. He doesn't deny any of the problems The Eagle reported.

What is of real concern is why he didn't take any action earlier to fix them. The problem with the voting cards and information line should have been solved at the beginning of this campaign cycle. Even though Thornburgh doesn't control local officials, he could still have worked with them to stop the cuts in polling places.

These problems are simply too convenient for the Republican Party. They come in a year, when there is talk of a Democratic landslide. They come at a time when Kansas' Democratic governor, Kathleen Sebelius, is expected to be re-elected, and Democrat Paul Morrison could well knock the Republican attorney general out of office.

Kansas deserve better than this.

"Best Choice for Kansas Governor:" Kansas City Star endorses Gov. Kathleen Sebelius

Hardly a surprise... The Star is backing Democrat Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for re-election.

The Star noted:

The governor worked adroitly to head off a legislative revolt after the Kansas Supreme Court ordered more money put into education. She and Republican Sandy Praeger, the insurance commissioner, put forth a progressive plan for curbing the costs of health-care delivery, while increasing access to services.

Sebelius and her running mate, Mark Parkinson, are committed to strong, well-funded schools and universities. They're also a strong team to encourage new industries based on alternative fuel sources.

The "Common Sense" Candidate: Kansas City Star endorses Paul Morrison for attorney general

Noting his "impeccable" law-enforcement credentials, The Kansas City Star endorsed Democrat Paul Morrison for Kansas attorney general.

The Star noted:

Democrat Paul Morrison is by far the better choice to serve as the state's top lawyer and public safety advocate.

In sharp contrast to Kline -- who has used the attorney general's office to promote a controversial personal agenda -- Morrison would make sure common sense and good legal principles dictate his decisions. He's operated that way for 17 years as Johnson County's district attorney.
...

Phill Kline has taken Kansas on a wild ride during his four years as attorney general.

But enough already.

Apologies to The Star writers for shuffling the order of some of their fine editorial. I liked the, let's call it, emotional sense of my version.

A few words on marriage

By Nancy Jane Moore

Two articles on marriage in this weekend's New York Times have cheered me up enormously.

The first, published Saturday, says that the right-wing attack on gay marriage is losing steam. Part of the reason is that voters are more interested in other issues -- like the Iraq War and the ethics problems in Congress -- but another reason "is that supporters of same-sex marriage this year are likely to be as mobilized as the opponents."

Despite the state laws and constitutional amendments defining marriage as "between one man and one woman," I think it's only a matter of time before gay marriage is legally recognized in this country. We are moving in a direction where we recognize that there are many ways of setting up a household, and gay marriage is one them.

The other article that pleased me ran in Sunday's Times and proclaimed: "To Be Married Means to Be Outnumbered." The gist of the article?

49.7 percent, or 55.2 million, of the nation's 111.1 million households in 2005 were made up of married couples -- with and without children -- just shy of a majority and down from more than 52 percent five years earlier.

Taken together, these stories tell me that more and more of us are recognizing that there are many possible ways of living in the modern world. You no longer need to feel like an outcast if you're not part of a traditional marriage.

I'm single. Since there are a number of ways to be single, let me clarify that: I live alone, I'm not involved in a relationship, and I'm not looking for a spouse or a lover. I am, in fact, a spinster, an old maid, a maiden aunt, though the term I like best is the old one used in law, a feme sole. And I'm happy.

I also have the good fortune to be part of the first generation of women for whom living as a single person is not considered a major liability. Even in my parents' generation, people made fun of unmarried women, and of course, divorce was considered shameful up into the 1960s. Widows were objects of pity.

Today, though, we all have choices. And many of us do choose to live alone.
According to the same Census data The Times used, 27.1 percent of US households consist of single persons.

The decline in the percentage of married households means that more of us are choosing other ways of living -- alone, with roommates, in group households, with other family members, and in non-traditional relationships. In time, I hope, the law will catch up with us.