Here’s the latest in Democrat scandals:  Detroit Council Woman Monica Conyers, wife of Congressman John Conyers, pleaded guilty for receiving cash money bribes in exchange for her vote on Synagro waste handling.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting, “In former Synagro consultant Rayford Jackson's plea this week, Jackson's brother, Lennie (who's cooperating with authorities) is alleged to have carried thousands in bribes to Conyers and her former aide, Sam Riddle.” 

If convicted she’ll be required to step down from her position.

That’s embarrassing, and having the Conyers name attached to scandal won’t help her husband’s future campaigns.  We congratulate Monica as she joins the ranks of Rob Blagojevich,  Elliot Spitzer and other scandal prone democrats.  

http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/19059

After reading Gwyn Mellinger’s column “Kansas Democrats Missing Opportunities” in the Topeka Capital-Journal, I have to wonder, what opportunities is she even talking about?

Democrats aren’t missing opportunities because they have no opportunities in the 2010 election cycle.  Both the democratic Governor and Lieutenant Governor have said that they won’t be running, and democrats have no viable candidate to run against Sam Brownback for governor in 2010.

And it’s not like they have a chance with the Attorney General and Treasurer; both were appointed and have hardly any name recognition in Kansas.  Placed against a strong Republican candidate, they have no chance to take those seats back. 

With Republicans retaining seats in the US Senate and both Congressional districts 1 and 4, it appears that Democrats are up a creek with no paddle.  They have no strong candidates, and the ones they have in office are either not running or don’t have any chance of keeping their seat.  At this point they have more opportunities to lose seats than gain them.  They are unorganized and are scrambling to even compete in the 2010 elections, let alone win them.

Gwyn Mellinger must be extremely liberal and out of touch to even THINK there’s an opportunity for Democrats pick up any seats in Kansas for a long time.   

Well, Governor Parkinson has become the newest member of the political blogosphere and, don’t worry, when you are reading his blog, he clearly states that you’re hearing directly from him, not some staffer trying to make him look good and he’ll try not to be too boring.

His first post is just short of amazing.   You get to see a new side of Governor Parkinson; an in depth look into our new governor, his likes and dislikes.

He loves: “my wife and kids; our dogs; Kansas; (okay I know that sounds political, but it’s very real); KU basketball; WSU baseball; the Chiefs; food; movies; nice people; fishing; listening to music; and just laying around doing nothing.  I’m spiritual but probably won’t use this blog to spread my religious thoughts.”

….and long walks on the beach, getting caught in the rain, Obama, tax increases, switching parties….

He doesn’t like: “the negativity that has invaded politics; mean people; intolerance; Missouri football, basketball, baseball, etc. etc.”….and smokers, George Bush, when pens don’t work when he’s trying to sign bills…

But seriously, mean people? The negativity that has invaded politics? Is he in the right profession?  You can’t tell me he hasn’t ever run a negative ad on an opponent.

The other pressing matters he discussed were his optimism (he knows it sounds ridiculous but he’s a glass half fun kind of person), the liberal lens through which he views his daily events (every single problem can be solved with a little elbow grease and a good sit down, but he HATES when people are unreasonable), his current view of humanity, what he had for breakfast, his favorite childhood toy, why he wants to be superman and other ridiculous things that really have nothing to do with today’s political world.

Well I don’t know about you, but I feel better about the future of Kansas after reading his blog.  Instead of worrying the budget, he’s writing about his optimism and humanity!  Good thing Sam Brownback is in the race for Governor.

Obama’s cap & trade, or the tax hike disguised as a climate bill, is making its debut in Congress this week. 

The controversial bill would cap emissions from power producers and manufacturers and require them to purchase credits if they surpass the limits, and has been questioned by both Republicans and Democrats.

States like Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming, Iowa and North Dakota are going to be hit hardest by the bill because they rely on coal to provide over 50% of their electricity. 

 According to the Wall Street Journal, “California is the No. 2 carbon emitter in the country but also has a large economy and population. So the average Californian only had a carbon footprint of about 12 tons of CO2-equivalent in 2005, according to the World Resource Institute's Climate Analysis Indicators, which integrates all government data. The situation is very different in Wyoming and North Dakota where every person was responsible for 154 and 95 tons, respectively.”

They are essentially taking away from rural Missouri and giving to Los Angeles, California.  

According to a Clinton-Gore Administration EIA study, they concluded the best scenario under a cap and trade policy to lower carbon dioxide limits will:

— Raise gasoline prices by nearly 53 percent and raise energy prices by more than 86 percent;
— Reduce economic growth by 1.9 percent (about $256 billion of 2006 QIV GDP);
— Reduce economic activity across most industries including the construction, manufacturing, transportation and      finance industries; and
— Exert upward pressure on overall prices and interest rates.

Is this what we want to see for the future of the citizens of the United States? A tax on carbon? What’s next, are they going to start taxing individual carbon emissions?  This is just another step in Obama’s march to allow the government to take over our lives.

“This will be a war of extermination and a momentous massacre, which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades.”   Azzam Pasha – Secretary General of the Arab League, 1948

In June 1967, Israel launched a pre-emptive attack on the huge Arab alliance arrayed against them. Even though the Arab nations of Syria and Egypt had been posturing and clamoring for the elimination of the Jewish nation, it was deliberate Soviet disinformation that nudged them to the point-of-no-return.

Syria, which held the 3,000 feet-high Golan Heights that towered over the kibbutzim of the Galilee, began lobbing shells onto the Jewish settlements in 1965. This deliberate provocation continued in 1966 to the degree in which Israeli children had to sleep in bomb shelters on a nightly basis.

Israel finally retaliated with air strikes over Syria and in the process shot down 6 MiG fighter jets. The Soviet Union misinformed Syria that the Jewish state was massing troops to attack their nation. Egypt bought the Soviet lie as well as Syria, troops began massing on the borders, and a blockade was imposed on the Israeli port of Eilat.

Israel had repeatedly attempted to come to some type of agreement with her Arab neighbors to live in peace, but from the formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964 and the ensuing terror attacks by that group, peace became a dream. The PLO launched 35 attacks in 1965, 41 in 1966, and 37 more in the first four months of 1967 – all directed toward civilians. Israel was under siege from without and the victim of terror from within.

Egyptian President Nasser promised the “extermination of the Zionist existence,” and Syrian leader Hafez Assad boasted of the coming “battle of annihilation,” while Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria and Saudi Arabia sent arms and troops to aid the Arab cause. The Arab alliance could boast 465,000 troops, 2,800 tanks and 800 aircraft to 264,000 Israeli troops (214,000 of these were reservists), 300 aircraft and 800 tanks – fearful odds. To add insult to injury, the United States and France both unilaterally decided to embargo all arms and military supplies headed for Israel.

This was not a new development. In 1948, even though the United States supported Israel’s independence, they also embargoed arms shipments to the Jews. While Britain was secretly swamping the Arabs with armaments, commanding the Jordanian Arab Legion, and flying air missions against Israel with the Egyptian air force,* the Israelis were forced to smuggle arms into the nation from Czechoslovakia.

Israel was able to win both wars in spite of the U.S. taking a convenient seat on the sidelines. The 1967 victory was especially thrilling for most Americans, due to the lop-sided nature of the enemy strength arrayed against Israel. A joke was floated concerning Egyptian tanks being equipped with back-up lights only.

Today’s young Americans have been brainwashed into believing that the only real democracy in the Middle East has always been the aggressor against its Arab neighbors and should be forced to give up its people’s security to nations that bring only hate to the table.

Israel is now in the unenviable position to have not only a Jew-baiting leader in Iran threatening to incinerate them with the nuclear weapons he is working so hard to manufacture, but also an Islamophile U.S. President who is forbidding them to protect themselves.

If I were the Israeli leader, I would do whatever it takes to protect my people from extinction. If the U.S. levels one of its familiar embargoes on the Jewish state, they will need to find arms elsewhere. Maybe North Korea would be a willing broker.

Hopefully, the elections in Iran this week will be as positive for Israel as was the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, Netanyahu cannot be constrained by an unsympathetic American President, when one nuclear-tipped missile could kill more of his people than the best efforts of the Nazis.

*The Israeli Defense Force shot down four British airplanes on Jan. 7, 1949 – flying with the Egyptians.

Kansas State Senator and Candidate for Congress Jim Barnett will be making stops in Emporia, McPherson, Great Bend, Dodge City, Garden City, Hutchinson, Salina, Hays, Junction City, and Clay Center June 2^nd  through 5^th to announce his bid for the Republican Nomination for Congress for the 1^st Congressional District.

“I am a medical doctor, and it has become increasingly clear to me it is time for the House of Representatives to receive a House Call,” said Barnett.  “Washington is out of control.  I will fight for everyday Kansans and roll my sleeves up to work on a prescription for prosperity for our nation.” 

Jim Barnett has been a Kansas State Senator since 2000, representing Lyon and Chase Counties, and parts of Coffey, Greenwood, Marion, Morris, and Osage Counties. 

Barnett will fight in Congress for fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, conservative values, comprehensive healthcare reform, and to make Kansas Competitive Again. 

“I’m excited to announce my campaign for Congress and campaign across the district,” said Barnett.  “Starting with the launch of my campaign, I am going to advocate each and every day for Kansas families so they can have a great place to live, work, and raise a family in the 1^st District.” 

Emporia – June 2^nd, 10:00 am at Sauder Alumni Center, Emporia State University, 1500 Highland Street, Emporia, Kansas

McPherson – June 2^nd, 3:00 pm at New Town Plaza, 201 North Main St, McPherson, Kansas

Great Bend – June 2^nd, 5:00 pm at the Barton County Court House, 1400 Main St, Great Bend, Kansas

Dodge City – June 3^rd, 10:00 am at Trojan Specialty Supply, 10860 U.S. Hwy 50, Dodge City, Kansas

Garden City – June 3^rd, 12:30 pm at St. Catherine Hospital, 401 East Spruce, Garden City, Kansas

Hutchinson – June 3^rd, 6:30 pm at Home of Anita Pfister, 4400 Pagoda Street, Hutchinson, Kansas

Salina – June 4^th, 2:30 pm at Kasa Industrial Controls, East Avenue B, Salina, Kansas

Hays – June 4^th, 5:30 pm at Sunflower Electric Cooperative Conference Room, 301 West 13th Street, Hays, Kansas

Junction City – June 5^th, 12:00 pm at The Junction City Sirloin Stockade, 426 Golden Belt Blvd, Junction City, Kansas

Clay Center – June 5^th, 2:30 pm at Danny’s, 422 Lincoln St., Clay Center, Kansas

U.S. Senator Pat Roberts became the first senator to announce that he planned on voting against President Obama’s Supreme Court nomination, Jude Sonya Sotomayor.

Roberts said, "I voted no in 1998 (when she was up for the Appeals Court).  I did not feel that she was appropriate on the Appeals Court. Since that time she has made statements on the role of the Appeals Court that I think is improper and incorrect.

"I think that we should be judging people not on race and  gender or background or ethnicity or a very telling story. There are a lot of peope that have that. My goodness, Clarence Thomas had that, and look what he got.

"I think that you should be judging people on their qualifications, whether they will follow the Constitution, and if they do that and they follow the Constitution and they don’t make laws, they simply follow the Constitution and interpret it, I will support them.”

"With all due respect to the nominee and nothing personal, I do not plan to vote for her.”

May Senators have tip-toed around the subject of how they are going to vote, but at least Senator Roberts came out and said exactly how he felt.  I’m glad someone is talking a stand against a judge that could bring a liberal voice into the Supreme Court.