Free Republic

The collapse of the ethanol boom continues as a Pratt-based ethanol producer is the latest to file bankruptcy. Gateway Ethanol LLC has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, estimating it owes between $50 million and $100 million. The filing comes weeks after Minneapolis-based Dougherty Funding LLC sought to have Gateway placed in emergency receivership to preserve any money being returned to creditors. It moved to foreclose on the company’s plant in May, saying Gateway defaulted on a $54.3 million loan used to build the facility. In a motion field in the U.S. District Court of Kansas in September, Dougherty noted...

Who won Thursday vice presidential candidate debate?

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Both of Kansas' Republican senators say they'll oppose a revised plan to rescue the nation's financial industry. Sen. Pat Roberts said his decision reflects the will of thousands of Kansas voters who have contacted his office to say the $700 billion measure is unacceptable. "It’s important Congress act responsibly to shore up America’s confidence in the financial system. Unfortunately, this proposal is still flawed. It does not protect taxpayers, contains no meaningful oversight, may not solve the crisis and is seen by most Americans as rewarding greed," Roberts said. Roberts' challenger on the November ballot, Democrat Jim...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2008 – The Defense Department today announced replacement units scheduled to deploy next year to Iraq. About 26,000 troops from an Army corps headquarters, an Army division headquarters, a Marine expeditionary force headquarters, an Army fires brigade and six Army brigade combat teams are scheduled to rotate into Iraq between this winter and next summer, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. Units receiving deployment orders are: -- 1st Corps Headquarters, Fort Lewis, Wash.; -- 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; -- 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; -- 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort...

"I oppose the bailout proposal by the Treasury," Senator Roberts said. "Americans face an economy in crisis and it’s important Congress act responsibly to shore up America’s confidence in the financial system. Unfortunately, the Treasury proposal is flawed. It does not protect taxpayers, contains no meaningful oversight, may not solve the crisis and is seen by most Americans as rewarding greed..... http://roberts.senate.gov

. Camping World RV 400 Sunday 2:00 pm on ABC from Kansas Speedway SPEED Pre-race show at 11:00 EasternABC Pre-race show at 1:00 Eastern Green Flag 2:15 Please give your support to the FR Canteen - Dedicated to our troops, veterans, and their families: The FR Canteen God Bless Our Troops Please pray on this day, and every day, for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world in defense of our liberty, and for the families awaiting their safe return.

MIdwest Voices: It’s not about Obama’s race, it’s about policies By ROSS BALANO Saturday, Sep 27, 2008 Ross Balano for Midwest Voices. Where’s the change? For all the talk of change coming from the Democratic side, what few specifics I hear sound strikingly the same as what we have come to expect from Democrats. Let’s see: raise taxes, more and bigger government programs, no drilling in ANWR, etc. … What’s new about that? That’s same, not change. Barack Obama thinks these are the things the American people want. If that’s true, then why isn’t Obama running away with this election?...

Airframe Chute's Failure Forces Real-Live Bail-Out... ANN has learned sume surprising details surrounding the recent loss of a non-conforming flying prototype of the Cessna SkyCatcher LSA during exclusive conversations with personnel from Cessna Aircraft and BRS Parachutes. Cessna's prototype Model 162 SkyCatcher light sport aircraft crashed thursday afternoon near Douglass, KS on what was described as a routine test flight, but a Cessna spokesperson now describes as an extensive evaluation of the aircraft's smpin matrix... this particular test being devoted to "Full-Power, cross-controlled spins." (snip) Cessna has been pretty open adn up-front with the matter, at least to the extend...

Johnson County deputies have acquired a new crimefighting tool: a device that quickly tells them —right during a traffic stop — whether someone is lying about who they are. The sheriff’s department is among the first agencies in Kansas and the metropolitan area to test a portable machine that identifies fingerprints in the field, deputies said. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation recently gave five units to the department for testing, said sheriff’s spokesman Tom Erickson.

WASHINGTON | It could be the last battle of World War I, nearly 100 years later. A Republican congressman from Texas wants to create a memorial to the “war to end all wars” on the National Mall. But Kansas City feels like it already has that covered. Congress, after all, has designated the city’s Liberty Memorial as the National World War I Museum. It’s also a National Historic Landmark. To bolster its claim, the Missouri congressional delegation is behind legislation to ensure that Kansas City serves as the anchor for events surrounding the centennial commemoration of the war, which will...

Is the Cold War back?No. I think that clearly there are a lot of issues between us and Russia, some of which I think are brought about by misunderstandings in terms of trust and the way President Bush has dealt with (Russia’s) President Putin. I think we have to make sure that we don’t go to a cold war. We will have disagreements with the Russians, there’s no question. But we also have a number of issues on which we have to work with them, whether it’s nuclear proliferation or environmental issues. How do you stave off another Cold War?...

Federal investigators are on their way to Douglass, Kansas to investigate the crash of a Cessna Skycatcher LSA prototype Thursday. The pilot of the test aircraft was able to parachute to safety and was reportedly taken to hospital with minor injuries. Cessna media relations personnel were unable to immediately respond to AVweb's request for more detailed information, but KAKE Television is reporting the aircraft crashed into a treeline near the boundary of Butler and Cowley Counties. The television station is quoting witnesses as saying they heard a loud pop and then saw sparks and the plane spiraling down. The pilot...

Ed Morrissey of Hot Air noted a revision to an existing Associated Press report carried in the Miami Herald yesterday. It concerned Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius's accusations that Republicans are engaging in racial "code word" campaigning. The original version that Morrissey cached is here; the revision is here (for now; backup is at my web host here if it changes). Among other adds, changes, and deletes, the revision deleted a racial reference in the original headline. It also removed a direct quote from Sebelius that "(Republicans) are not going to go lightly into the darkness." Morrissey wasn't sure at the...

Could a Catholic in good conscience vote for a candidate who supports legalized abortion when there is a choice of another candidate who does not support abortion or any other intrinsically evil policy? Could a voter’s preference for the candidate’s positions on the pursuit of peace, economic policies benefiting the poor, support for universal health care, a more just immigration policy, etc. overcome a candidate’s support for legalized abortion? In such a case, the Catholic voter must ask and answer the question: What could possibly be a proportionate reason for the more than 45 million children killed by abortion in...

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday that a belief among some voters that Democrat Barack Obama is different from them is hindering his campaign for president. Asked at a brown-bag lunch at the local library why the campaign is neck-and-neck, Sebelius said "code language" raising doubts about Obama is invalid because his life experience "has a lot more to do with me and my family." "I think that the notion that, 'By the way, have any of you noticed that Barack Obama is part African American?' I think that is for a number of people difficult," Sebelius said. "I think...

http://iowaindependent.com/5627/sebelius-obamas-race-may-be-a-factor Sebelius: Obama’s race ‘may be a factor’ By John Deeth 9/16/08 8:31 PM IOWA CITY — Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius publicly considered the possibility that Sen. Barack Obama’s race might be a factor in this year’s presidential election during an appearance here Tuesday. “Have any of you noticed that Barack Obama is part African-American?” Sebelius asked in response to a question about why the election is so close. “That may be a factor. All the code language, all that doesn’t show up in the polls. And that may be a factor for some people.” The remark, delivered in the...

Hmmm. Didn’t Barack Obama just get done scolding John McCain over “dishonorable” attacks? Maybe he should save his criticisms for his surrogates, except that they’re parroting The One in his own baseless smears. In Iowa today, Kathleen Sebelius continued the Obama tradition of calling Republicans racists, and the other Obama tradition of producing absolutely no evidence for the allegation: Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius accused Republicans on Tuesday of injecting race into the presidential campaign, arguing that they are using “code language” to convince Midwesterners that Democrat Barack Obama is different from them. “Have any of you noticed that Barack Obama...

Sebelius says GOP using racial 'code language' By NIGEL DUARA – 23 minutes ago IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius accused Republicans on Tuesday of injecting race into the presidential campaign, arguing that they are using "code language" to convince Midwesterners that Democrat Barack Obama is different from them. "Have any of you noticed that Barack Obama is part African-American?" Sebelius asked with sarcasm. "(Republicans) are not going to go lightly into the darkness."

Members and alumni of The Young Conservatives of Texas were pleased to read in today’s Daily Kansan that students at Kansas University are forming The Young Conservatives of Kansas. {Jack Hutsey, Wichita junior, officially founded the Young Conservatives of the University of Kansas on Sept. 4, a week before the group’s first public outreach effort. “Right now, the conservative voice is just a whisper on campus,” Hutsey said. “We just want the liberals to know that we’re going to raise our voice. They can have demonstrations and rallies, and so can we. It’ll take time, obviously, but we’ll have small...

While Catholics can disagree about the best policies and the most effective candidates related to such issues, the bishops insisted: “Catholics have an obligation to study, reflect and pray over the relative merits of the different policy approaches proposed by candidates. Catholics have a special responsibility to be well informed regarding the guidance given by the Church pertaining to the moral dimensions of these matters.” Archbishop Naumann and Bishop Finn then noted what issues can never be justified, which they said included: “legalized abortion, the promotion of same-sex unions and ‘marriages,’ repression of religious liberty, as well as public policies...

Heads up - Douglas and Johnson County in the path right now.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius continues to criticize Sarah Palin's selection as the Republican vice presidential nominee. A state GOP official says Sebelius is whining. Kansas Republican Party executive director Christian Morgan said today that the governor "should talk about things she knows about." At the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson Wednesday, Sebelius said no company CEO would ever choose a top lieutenant and potential successor the way that McCain picked Palin for a running mate. Sebelius said McCain's choice represents how he makes decisions. She said the vetting process of her as a possible running mate for Barack Obama was extensive.

The two candidates for Johnson County district attorney, Rick Guinn and Steve Howe, can boast the most important qualification for the job anyone could ask for. Neither was a crony of Phill Kline. Guinn had left the D.A.’s office long before Kline arrived, to head up the criminal division of the Kansas Attorney General’s office. He had been the deputy D.A. here in Johnson County. Steve Howe was fired by Kline, as part of the purge. That would be purge, not surge. A surge seeks victory. A purge usually ends in defeat. And defeat it is, because the conviction rate...

US police are investigating whether they have foiled an assassination plot against Barack Obama after four people were arrested near the Democratic convention in Denver in the possession of high powered rifles. One of the suspects told police they were "going to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a ... rifle ... sighted at 750 yards," Denver television station CDS4 is reporting. Police have told the television station that one of the suspects "was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmative." The suspects were arrested on Sunday when local...

KANSAS CITY — A date in 2009 has been set for former Southwest Michigan Congressman Mark Siljander to stand trial on charges in connection with an alleged international terrorism ring. U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey, of the Western District of Missouri, signed an order last month setting a trial date of Nov. 2, 2009, for Siljander and other defendants in the case involving the Islamic American Relief Agency. Siljander was indicated in January on charges of money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. The government alleges the agency used stolen money to pay Siljander for lobbying efforts and that Siljander...

Once upon a time, the two parties' national conventions chose presidential nominees. Now, they are television shows that try to establish a narrative -- one that links the long-since-determined nominee's life story with the ongoing history of the nation, one that shows how this one man is perfectly positioned to lead America to a better future. The hope is that the nominee will get a bounce in the polls. And they usually do. Gallup poll data shows that nominees got a 5 percent or better bounce from 14 of the 16 national conventions between 1976 and 2004. And that's even...

The Columbian Bank and Trust Company, Topeka, Kansas, was closed today by the Kansas Bank Commissioner J. Thomas Thull, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was named receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Citizens Bank and Trust, Chillicothe, Missouri, to assume the insured deposits of The Columbian Bank and Trust Company. The nine branches of The Columbian Bank and Trust Company will reopen on Monday as branches of Citizens Bank and Trust. Depositors of the failed bank will automatically become depositors of Citizens Bank and Trust. Deposits will continue to...

Attention women: If you live in Michigan and you're a fan of Barack Obama then there's a big party being thrown today just for you. Well, assuming your name isn't Jennifer Granholm. The Ivory Tower reports this morning that the Barackstar's campaign is kicking off their official "Michigan Women for Obama" organization. Here's the trick... the headliner isn't Michigan's first female governor, one of the former "rising stars" of the national Democratic Party. It isn't that female governor who took so many folks by storm only four years ago at the Democratic National Convention. It isn't the woman who cleaned...

With five seats on the State Board of Education up for grabs this year, education advocates say how children learn about evolution hangs in the balance -- and who voters choose could affect Kansas' national reputation. A frequent flip-flop between moderate and conservative majorities on the 10-member board has resulted in the state changing its science standards four times in the past eight years. Conservatives have pushed for standards casting doubt on evolution, and moderates have said intelligent design does not belong in the science classroom. In 2007, a new 6-4 moderate majority removed standards that called evolution into question....

A federal judge ruled Friday that a Wichita Catholic school policy requiring students to speak only English didn't break any civil rights laws.

Sen. Pat Roberts (KS) is now the eighth Republican senator to announce that they will not attend the GOP Convention in St. Paul, Minn., next month. Roberts spokeswoman told the Topeka Capital Journal today that Roberts will be campaigning that week, finishing up his 105 county statewide tour during the convention week. Four others who've announced they won't be attending are -- Ted Stevens (AK), Elizabeth Dole (NC), Gordon Smith (OR), and Susan Collins (ME). All are running for re-election and are in close races. (Collins may have the easiest race, but she's never been a close ally of McCain.)...

Professor's Mooning Video Becomes Hit A video posted on YouTube Aug. 2 exposes the ugly side of competitive debate. And the backside of debate coach Bill Shanahan. At the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) quarterfinals last March, the Fort Hays State University assistant professor got into a screaming match with rival coach Shanara Reid-Brinkley from the University of Pittsburgh. The argument devolved into an ugly exchange of profanity and Shanahan pulled down his pants, mooning the audience.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 Email to a Friend Barack Obama has narrowed the gap slightly, but John McCain still leads his Democratic opponent by 15 percentage points 52% to 37% in the reliably red state of Kansas. When “leaners” are included, the Republican presidential candidate is ahead 55% to 41%, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Kansas voters. In mid-July, McCain had a 20-point lead over Obama 52% to 32%. Obama was within 10 points of McCain in June just after Hillary Clinton dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Also in Kansas, incumbent...

A video posted on YouTube Aug. 2 exposes the ugly side of competitive debate. And the backside of debate coach Bill Shanahan. At the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) quarterfinals last March, the Fort Hays State University assistant professor got into a screaming match with rival coach Shanara Reid-Brinkley from the University of Pittsburgh. The argument devolved into an ugly exchange of profanity and Shanahan pulled down his pants, mooning the audience.

FORT HAYS, Kan. -- A professor at a Kansas university who dropped his pants and mooned a room full of students and teachers is under investigation after video of the incident was posted on YouTube, school officials said. Bill Shanahan, a professor at Fort Hays State University, was at a debate with the Fort Hays State debate team last March when the incident occurred. School officials said they believe things got out of control when the team got low scores from two of the judges. Shanahan is seen on the video jumping up and down, ranting and then mooning the...

No Compromises: Kansas State Bishops Declare Voting for Abortion Candidate is "Evil" By Peter J. Smith KANSAS CITY, August 12, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A vote cast for a politician who supports abortion and same-sex "marriage" is nothing less than casting a vote for "evil" says a state conference of Catholic bishops. In a voter's guide released for the second time since 2006, the Kansas Catholic Bishops make it clear that Catholics would "commit moral evil" by voting for a candidate who embraces abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning, and same-sex "marriage," when a morally acceptable candidate is available. The...

Phill Kline: Whether you support him or oppose him, love him or loathe him, he has the uncanny ability to be the focus of the public's attention and interest. And now that he has been defeated in his bid for Johnson County District Attorney – what comes next? Public speaking circuit? Radio talk show host? Private legal practice? Legal consultant? Professor? Another run at political office? A judgeship? In Kline’s eighth attempt at elective office in 16 years, he was defeated in the Aug. 5 Republican primary election by Calls to Kline and his staff were not returned by press...

I saw this at their vile website. Fred Phelps is at it again. Here is how the flyer goes: NEWS RELEASE God Hates Texas. Yes, indeed. The irreversible curse of God upon fags and fag-enablers - the "botch of Egypt•••that cannot be healed." Ct. 28:27. God is punishing Texas for passing laws against WBC by devastating bus crashes & many natural disasters. Thank God for 13 dead Vietnamese Houstonians in a bus crash bound for idolatry. Pray for many more dead. We will picket their funerals. WBC will picket their funerals in religious protest and warning; to wit: "Be not...

For Wall and a few dozen others, Obama on the campaign trail often brings to mind Stanley Ann Dunham, Obama's mother and a strong-willed, unconventional member of the Mercer Island High School graduating class of 1960. "She was not a standard-issue girl of her times. ... She wasn't part of the matched-sweater-set crowd," said Wall, a classmate and retired philosophy teacher who used to make after-school runs to Seattle with Dunham to sit and talk -- for hours and hours -- in coffee shops. "She touted herself as an atheist, and it was something she'd read about and could argue,"...

Have we finally seen the last of Kline? We can only pray. "A political newcomer knocked Phill Kline out of the race for Johnson County district attorney Tuesday, defeating the hopes of abortion opponents who had campaigned nationwide. With all of the vote counted, Steve Howe, a former Johnson County prosecutor, trounced Kline with 33,260 votes to Kline’s 22,188, a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent, according to final unofficial returns. Howe will face Democrat Rick Guinn in the Nov. 4 general election."

A political newcomer knocked Phill Kline out of the race for Johnson County district attorney Tuesday, defeating the hopes of abortion opponents who had campaigned nationwide. With all of the vote counted, Steve Howe, a former Johnson County prosecutor, trounced Kline with 33,260 votes to Kline’s 22,188, a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent, according to final unofficial returns. Howe will face Democrat Rick Guinn in the Nov. 4 general election. In a gathering at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel with his wife and children at his side, Howe thanked his supporters and called on Republicans to come together...

This is the Kansas Primary Live Thread. Links to election results: http://www.kssos.org/ent/johnson.html http://www.kctv5.com/politics/feature.html http://www.wibw.com/elections

Kicking someone while they're down has long been considered bad form - except in politics. Republicans have fallen on hard times of late, trailing Democrats in party identification by 9 points, 27% to 36%, the widest margin in many years. President Bush suffers record low approval ratings (but then, so does Congress), and the GOP's election prospects look less than rosy. But their plight has earned them little sympathy from their critics, particularly in journalist Thomas Frank's delicately titled new book "The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule." For those who may have forgotten, Frank published a bestseller shortly before the...

Perhaps it would clarify the wind issue if some basic facts were understood. The term is WECS: Wind Energy Conversion Systems, not "farms," "ranches," or "parks." The structures are industrial-scale turbines. WECS will produce small amounts of energy with an efficiency range averaging 35 percent at most locations. WECS in Kansas in operation or under construction have the ability to produce 1,014 megawatts of electricity at maximum production; less than a quarter of that electricity stays in Kansas. WECS will not replace conventional coal, gas or nuclear plants, because wind energy is intermittent, unpredictable, unreliable and expensive and cannot be...

It's an AP story but you can go to www.kansascity.com to read article, if interested.

On Saturday morning just before 9am, KCMO police were called to the Bank of America, 8320 North Oak Trafficway, in regard to a shooting. Upon arrival officer's located a black male (approx. 20yrs old) in the parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. It appears he was attempting to rob two victim's at gunpoint near the ATM when one of the victim's brandished a handgun and shot him in self defense. Both victim's along with several witnesses are being interviewed in regard. Anyone who may have witnessed...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2008 – President Bush this week approved the death penalty for an Army private convicted of committing multiple murders and rapes in the late 1980s on Fort Bragg, N.C. Exercising the commander in chief’s final authority to approve capital punishment for a servicemember, Bush issued the order against Pvt. Ronald A. Gray on July 28, the first time such a presidential directive has been invoked in 51 years. Gray faces the death penalty after being convicted of two killings, one count of attempted murder and of raping all three victims, among other crimes he was found guilty...

A local election contest rarely draws national attention. But the issue of abortion has catapulted the district attorney’s race in Johnson County into that sphere. Phill Kline, who is campaigning to keep the job, is the first prosecutor since Roe v. Wade to file a criminal case against Planned Parenthood. Those who oppose abortion have taken note and are sending manpower and money. “There is no other elected official taking a more principled and courageous stand for the sanctity of human life than Phill Kline,” conservative James Dobson, who heads Focus on the Family, wrote recently in a letter soliciting...

Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) -- A Kansas judge ruled against late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller and his request to declare Kansas' ban on most late-term abortions unconstitutional. District Court Judge Clark Owens determined that the post-viability abortion ban is legitimate.Judge Owens said the law "survives all of the constitutional challenges" Tiller's lawyers presented.As a result, the Tiller motion to dismiss the 19 charges filed against him by the state attorney general was denied. Former attorney general Paul Morrison filed the charges against Tiller, saying he violated state law requiring a second physician to sign off on the validity of the...