Republicans Are Still Holding Sebelius' Confirmation Back

Isn't it about time to let the President have the staff he needs to get the job done that the American people elected him to do? In case you have one of these Republicans representing you in the Senate, tell them to stop blocking Kathleen Sebelius from being our next Health and Human Services Secretary.

Howard Dean Speaks About Sebelius As HHS Secretary

Always a man of character, Howard Dean is full of praises for Governor Sebelius becoming the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Of course this doesn't mean that Dean will just go away and do nothing. Expect plenty from him in the months and years to come as a staunch advocate of progressive issues.

Sebelius Scores A Major Victory Against Coal Power

Who doesn't love a piece of good news here and there? Happy stories are even sweeter when they come from unlikely places and if it concerns the environment, seeing something out of Kansas is definitely a great sign of things to come. The hat tip goes to their incredible Governor Kathleen Sebelius, for standing up against the coal lobby and the majority of Republicans in the State House that were in the pockets of those who profit from that dirty black crap that comes out of the ground.

From The Kansas City Star:

TOPEKA | Opponents of two power plants proposed for western Kansas won a stunning victory Thursday that they hope signals the end of a six-month war over coal.

The Kansas House failed Thursday night to muster the 84 votes needed to defy Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and approve the plants over her veto. The vote was 80-45.

But plant supporters said they would keep trying until the legislative session ends.

“We’ll do something. We’re not through,” said House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, a major backer of Sunflower Electric Power Corp.’s project. Asked if Thursday’s vote was the last on the issue, the Ingalls Republican said, “Not hardly.”

Plant opponents called the vote historic, saying it may go down as a turning point in which Kansas becomes a leader in the movement away from old energy sources toward sustainable, environmentally friendly technologies and energy efficiency. They hoped Thursday’s vote was decisive.

I hope so too. We all know that with the money and power behind coal and all unrenewable resources, this won't knock them down in one punch. However if this attitude shown by Kansans holds steady, in the long run the environment and that of which our children and children's children will live in, things are looking on the up and up.

The most important side-story in all of this was how the veto override failed. The overwhelmingly Republican institution lost a few key votes from their own caucus thanks in part to constituents that pressured their lawmakers to side with them and not the coal industry. When citizens speak loudly and consistently, their representatives do hear them.

"I Pledge Allegiance To The Kansas GOP"

Things are getting worse by the day for the Kansas Republican party. Thanks to Governor Sebelius, many moderate Republicans have bolted their party and switched over to the blue side. We aren't talking precinct captains here, this goes all the way up to the State Attorney General. The GOP also lost a Congressional House seat and in a state where there are only three districts, thats a huge loss. So if you were the chairman of all Kansas Republicans, what would you do? Make people sign a loyalty oath? Nah.....or would you?

From The Wichita Eagle:

Before taking office in January, chairman Kris Kobach promised to reorganize and reinvigorate the Kansas GOP. He and other Republicans have said GOP activists need to show unity in elections so that Democrats don't take advantage of their disagreements.

"The motive behind this is, 'Let's make sure Republicans are supporting Republicans,' " said Christian Morgan, the state GOP's executive director. "If you want to hold a party post, you should at least be supporting Republican candidates."

The state committee's actions struck a sour note for some Republicans, particularly moderates on issues such as abortion. Bob Beatty, a Washburn University political scientist, suggested the loyalty committee could prove a "public relations disaster."

The PR disaster is just the beginning. This spectacle stinks of anti-democratic behavior. Beatty went as far as calling it communist (a big red herring for Republicans). Why is it so hard for these people to understand that in this country, citizens are allowed to vote and endorse anyone they want to. Sure, suffer political consequences for your actions, but demanding loyalty is crossing a huge line.

Of course, it isn't democracy that people like Kris Kobach care about, their only concern is power. Now that they are losing their might, they'll do whatever they think it takes to hold on to it.

The National Guard Needs To Be At Home

President Bush doesn't mind sending troops from all different military branches over to fight his senseless war in Iraq. While the Army and Marines are meant to fight overseas, the National Guard is not. Only in times when there is dire need for their support, should we send them in harms way far from their families. One of the primary roles of the Guard is to protect the homeland, against invaders and to provide assistance for natural disasters. We already saw the consequences of not having Louisiana's men when Hurricane Katrina hit, now we get to see what happens when an F-5 tornado destroys an entire Kansas' town.

From RawStory:

"Well, states all over the country are not only missing personnel, National Guard troops are — about 40 percent of the troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan — but we’re missing the equipment. When the troops get deployed, the equipment goes with them," she told CNN.

"So, here in Kansas, about 50 percent of our trucks are gone. We need trucks. We’re missing Humvees, we’re missing all kinds of equipment that can help us respond to this kind of emergency."

She said that because the National Guard doesn't have the equipment it needs, the disaster relief efforts are proceeding at a much slower pace than they otherwise could.

Amen Kathleen! Our National Guard needs to be at home so we can be equipped to deal with emergencies like the devastating tornado that hit Greenburg. Of course there is a relief effort underway, but nothing like it should be. I remember living through the aftermath of the Northridge earthquake in 1994 and the Guard were our heroes. They helped fix massive sinkholes, repair water mains and hand out water while there was none for several days.

That is one of the many reasons why each Governor has command of the Guard, so that they can take care of serious situations across the country when disaster strikes. That is much different than creating the disasters themselves like we (George Bush) have in Iraq.