Blackwater has snipers.

Silly me. I thought all Blackwater mercenaries did was protest our diplomats in the streets of Iraq. So why would they need snipers? And why did they kill some Iraqi's guarding a media outfit? And why is the State Department defending them yet again? You watch, pretty soon we'll have mercenaries fighting Iraqi soldiers, you know, the ones that "when they stand up , we'll stand down." Another Hearts and Minds triumph brought to you by the right-wing Christian mercenary army that is Blackwater.

Who will Bower put on the Board?

Pat Rhele (I can never spell his name right) resigned yesterday, leaving an opening on the Board of Aldermen. So now Mayor Bower has a decision to make. Perhaps he might consider Diane Krizec, who lost to Pat by a scant 50 votes. We can hope. Diane is sharp, no-nonsense, and would be a boon to this town on the Board.

Mayor Bower is a decent guy, but I wonder if he has what it takes to wean himself from the Reaching For Tomorrow crowd that runs this town. Appointing Diane would show us more of what he's made of.

We'll see.

Corporations Lie -- Never forget that.

The big energy players in Kansas are lying about Sebelius, linking her to Iran, Venezuela, and Russia in scurrilous newspaper ad. They say the decision to disallow two new coal plants in Western Kansas will force Kansans to by more energy from these bad men.

They lie. Big surprise. Kansas EXPORTS natural gas to other states, and the US does not even import natural gas from the three countries mentioned.

Hmmmm, let us all guess what party the coal companies sent their contributions to...

It's all about the Benjamins, people, for the modern GOOP (Grand Old Obscene Party.)

Recruiting down, way down.

The Army has a really tough time getting kids and their parents to say "Yes" to recruiters. Check this out, and see that the struggle to get new soldiers is getting even harder. Americans support the troops, but they don't want their kids sent into a debacle. They are voting against this war every day by keeping their kids out of it.

War is the acid test of leadership, and George Bush has failed. His incompetence as Commander in Chief has him leading without followers. He has violated every tenet of Sun Tzu's Art of War. Our troops are a precious national asset, and he has squandered them. Most of the GOP candidates have promised to follow his calamitous course.

We can not afford another Republican administration.