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Kansas City Chiefs athlete commits murder-suicide

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 20:32:03 GMT

Monday, December 3, 2012

Belcher while with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010
Image: Jeffrey Beall.

Jovan Belcher, an American football player for the Kansas City Chiefs, on Saturday shot his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins and then later shot himself.

According to Police Captain David Lindaman, Perkins and Belcher got into an argument at their house and Belcher shot Perkins around 7:50 A.M. CT. After shooting Perkins, Belcher headed to the Chiefs training facility where he talked to Chiefs General Manger Scott Pioli and Head Coach Romeo Crennel. Belcher thanked them for their support and then proceeded to shoot himself.

Owner of the Kansas City Chiefs Clark Hunt released a statement regarding Belcher. He said "The entire Chiefs family is deeply saddened by today’s events, and our collective hearts are heavy with sympathy, thoughts and prayers for the families and friends affected by this unthinkable tragedy. We sincerely appreciate the expressions of sympathy and support we have received from so many in the Kansas City and NFL communities, and ask for continued prayers for the loved ones of those impacted. We will continue to fully cooperate with the authorities and work to ensure that the appropriate counseling resources are available to all members of the organization."

Belcher, from the University of Maine, went undrafted in 2009, but was signed as a free agent after the draft.

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Sources [edit]

"NFL player Jovan Belcher kills girlfriend and self" — BBC News Online, December 1, 2012
Glenn E. Rice. "Chiefs player Jovan Belcher kills girlfriend, then himself" — The Kansas City Star, December 1, 2012
Sam Farmer. "Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher kills girlfriend, self" — Chicago Tribune, December 1, 2012

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Matt Kenseth wins third NASCAR Sprint Cup race of 2012

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 18:19:30 GMT

Monday, October 22, 2012

NASCAR

NASCAR on Wikinews

22 October 2012: Matt Kenseth wins third NASCAR Sprint Cup race of 2012
1 May 2011: NASCAR driver Kyle Busch wins 2011 spring race in Richmond, Virginia
18 April 2011: NASCAR: Johnson beats Bowyer for victory in Aarons' 499
10 April 2011: Matt Kenseth wins 2011 NASCAR Samsung Mobile 500
21 March 2011: NASCAR driver Kyle Busch wins 2011 Jeff Byrd 500

Roush Fenway Racing driver Matt Kenseth won his third race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and the second of the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup following the Hollywood Casino 400 in Kansas City, Kansas yesterday. The race was the first on reconfigured Kansas Speedway and had a season-high 14 cautions.

Matt Kenseth in 2009.
Image: Rick R. Duncan.

Kenseth, who started in the twelfth position, led 78 laps of the 267-lap race. Michael Waltrip Racing driver Martin Truex, Jr. finished second, while Paul Menard finished third, ahead of Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart. Clint Bowyer, Regan Smith, Brad Keselowski, and Jimmie Johnson followed in the next four positions. Jeff Gordon managed a tenth place finish. Other drivers participating in the Chase for the Sprint Cup finished farther back, such as Denny Hamlin who finished thirteenth.

Johnson, who was second behind Keselowski in the Drivers' Championship before the event, collided into the wall halfway through the race after leading 44 laps before the caution was given for Aric Almirola's crash on lap 123. Johnson's crew managed to keep Johnson on the same lap as the leaders, allowing him to gain positions. Stewart and Greg Biffle were among other drivers who had difficulties during the race, as both had violations on pit road.

After the race, Johnson stated, "I'm definitely proud of this team and the fact that we never give up, we continue to fight and we try to get every point that we can. I'm very proud but also disappointed. I crashed the car. Spun out, trying to get inside the 56. He bobbled a little in front of me, and I thought that was an opportunity to jump on the gas real hard. When I did that, my car took off and I couldn't catch it."

Following the race, Keselowski remains the Drivers' Championship leader with 2,250 points. Seven points behind, Johnson is second with 2,243. In third, Hamlin is twenty points behind, but five ahead of Bowyer. Kahne and Truex, Jr. are fifth and sixth respectively with 2,220 and 2,207 points. Stewart, Gordon, Kenseth, and Harvick round out the top-ten positions for the Drivers' Championship with four races remaining in the season.

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Sister links [edit]

2012 Hollywood Casino 400

Sources [edit]

"2012 Unofficial Driver Standings: Hollywood Casino 400" — Turner Sports, October 22, 2012 (date of access)
NASCAR Wire Service. "Kenseth survives wild race on new pavement" — Turner Sports, October 21, 2012
Mike Hembree. "CUP: Kenseth Survives Kansas" — SPEED TV, October 21, 2012
Dustin Long. "Matt Kenseth wins at Kansas; Chase leaderboard unchanged" — USA Today, October 21, 2012

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Wikinews Shorts: April 14, 2012

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 11:08:28 GMT

A compilation of brief news reports for Saturday, April 14, 2012 .

1 Yemen al-Qaeda attack leaves twelve dead
2 Iran nuclear negotiations continue
3 US Secret Service agents relieved in light of alleged misconduct
4 Severe 'life-threatening' weather forecast for Midwestern US
5 Antarctic emperor penguin population approximated from space

Yemen al-Qaeda attack leaves twelve dead [edit]

Twelve people were killed in an al-Qaeda militant attack on a security checkpoint yesterday in Aden, Yemen, according to the country's Defense Ministry. Four Yemeni security force members and eight al-Qaeda militants are among the dead. Four additional people were wounded, including two al-Qaeda fighters and two members of the security force.

Al-Qaeda has been present in Yemen for several years, but gained traction last year when movements across the country called for the ouster of leader Ali Abdullah Saleh. Officials, who were unauthorized to speak to the press, spoke of the attack on the condition of anonymity.

Sources

Ahmed Al-Haj. "Yemen: 12 killed in militant attack in south" — Associated Press, April 14, 2012
Mohammed Hatem. "Yemen Says 12 Killed in Latest Fighting Between Al-Qaeda, Army" — Bloomberg News, April 14, 2012

Iran nuclear negotiations continue [edit]

Nuclear negotiations between Iran and six other nations continued yesterday and have made progress, according to diplomats. The meeting is the first time Iran has met with world powers in over a year. When the meeting broke for lunch, a diplomat warned of premature optimism, however. The diplomat also mentioned the possibility of reaching common ground in the future.

Iran continues to insist that the development of a nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened a preemptive strike, saying that his country would be threatened by Iran achieving nuclear capability. Although U.S. President Barack Obama has not eliminated the possibility of using military force against Iran, he has expressed desire for a diplomatic solution instead.

Sources

Associated Press. "Iran nuclear negotiations: Talks 'progressing well'" — The Times of India, April 14, 2012
Roy Gutman. "After 'constructive' talks on Iran nuclear program, hopes rise for diplomacy" — The Miami Herald, April 14, 2012

US Secret Service agents relieved in light of alleged misconduct [edit]

Approximately twelve members of the United States Secret Service, including agents, were relieved from their duties after allegations of misconduct, reportedly involving prostitution. The agents were serving in Colombia preceding a visit by President Barack Obama. Despite the incident, however, the agency claims that security for the President was never compromised.

All questions directed to the White House pertaining to the matter have been redirected to the Secret Service. President Obama is visiting Colombia to participate in the Summit of the Americas, where he plans to discuss issues including trade policy.

Sources

"Secret Service agents relieved of duty in Colombia amid alleged misconduct" — CNN, April 14, 2012
Donovan Slack, Josh Gerstein, Carrie Budoff Brown. "Secret Service scandal rocks Obama trip" — Politico, April 14, 2012

Severe 'life-threatening' weather forecast for Midwestern US [edit]

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center issued a high risk warning on Friday for parts of several U.S. states, with Oklahoma and Kansas expected to be the most impacted by severe weather. Accuweather meteorologist Paul Walker told ABC News that the weekend "should be particularly dangerous" and that the issuance of a warning two days prior to severe weather is unusual.

Officials in Kansas and Oklahoma are urging residents to watch the situation and make emergency plans with their families.

Sources

Alyssa Newcomb. "Forecasters Warn of Violent,' Life-Threatening' Storms for Midwest" — ABC News, April 14, 2012
Sean Murphy. "'Life-threatening' storms feared for Midwest" — The Sacramento Bee, April 14, 2012

Antarctic emperor penguin population approximated from space [edit]

Scientists from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia used satellite imagery to approximate the Antarctic population of emperor penguins at approximately 600,000, nearly double that of previous estimates. The scientists used high resolution imagery to ensure the ability to distinguish between shadows, excrement and the penguins themselves. They also found approximately 238,000 breeding pairs of penguins in Antarctica. Two-decade-old studies estimated this number to be between 135,000 and 175,000.

Although the population estimate is higher than before, their numbers may decline in the coming years if current climate trends continue, according to researchers. Researcher Phil Trathan said "Current research suggests that emperor penguin colonies will be seriously affected by climate change." The species, which only occupies Antarctica, is currently listed as "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Sources

Alex Morales. "Penguin Count Doubles as Satellite Sees Birds" — Bloomberg News, April 14, 2012
Jonathan Amos. "Emperor penguins counted from space" — BBC News, April 13, 2012

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US Army sergeant charged with seventeen Afghan murders

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:31:03 GMT

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Afghanistan

Sources [edit]

Miranda Leitsinger, The Associated Press. "Staff Sgt. Robert Bales charged with 17 counts of murder in Afghanistan massacre" — MSNBC, March 23, 2012
Anna Mulrine. "Sgt. Robert Bales charged with premeditated murder of 17 Afghans" — Christian Science Monitor, March 23, 2012
"Robert Bales Deleted From Internet? Report Claims Military Scrubbed References To Accused Soldier" — Huffington Post, March 22, 2012

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Deadly tornadoes blast U.S. Midwest leaving 39 dead

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:37:19 GMT

Monday, March 5, 2012

Disasters and accidents

More articles about disasters and accidents on Wikinews:

At least 39 people are confirmed dead, dozens injured and numerous buildings are left damaged in several states after series of tornadoes hit the U.S. Midwest March 2. The storm system stretched from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. Southern Indiana, northern Alabama and parts of Kentucky and Tennessee were affected the most.

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Images from the GOES 13 satellite shows the formation and movement of the storm system.
Image: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The first warning went out around 9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and by about 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, at least twelve tornadoes had touched down in three different states. At least fourteen people were confirmed dead in Indiana. Officials are still trying to determine how many people might have died and assessing the damage.

New Pekin, Indiana, Marysville and Henryville are reported to have been hit the worst. Marysville about a hour north of Louisville, Kentucky has been reported to be nearly flatted. In Kentucky, at least 17 people had died and at least 200 injuries have been reported. Only one has been confirmed dead in Alabama but at least eleven people were injured during the storm. There are three confirmed dead in Clermont County, Ohio.

Damage reports in the Midwest and South keep piling up. Golf ball, tennis ball and softball size hail was reported in several states. Severe damage was reported in Nashville, Tennessee and Knoxville after high winds and 3 inch in diameter hail tore through the cities.

At the Limestone Correctional Facility in northern Alabama roofs were ripped off two dormitories housing over 500 inmates and multiple security fences were knocked down. Even though the prison lost power, nobody was injured or escaped. Also, flights were delayed for over an hour after storm debris littered the runways at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

The National Weather Service issued 255 tornado warnings on Friday, received 94 reports of tornadoes, 208 reports of strong winds and 410 reports of hail. The storms, caused by a warm, moist and unseasonable air mass that then mixed with colder air, followed a series of tornadoes earlier in the week that killed 13 people in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee.

The storms have raised fear that 2012 will be another bad year for tornadoes. Last year was the deadliest year in a century due to tornadoes, killing 550 people.

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Sources [edit]

Bruce Schreiner and Tom LoBianco (AP). "Baby dropped in field by tornado dies; toll at 39" — Sarasota Herald-Tribune, March 4, 2012
Steven Yaccino. "Towns Search for Survivors After Widespread Storms" — The New York Times, March 3, 2012
Susan Guyett. "Tornadoes slam Midwest, at least six dead in Indiana" — Chicago Tribune, March 2, 2012

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U.S. President Barack Obama releases original birth certificate

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:48:35 GMT

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

United States

Sources [edit]

Alan Silverleib. "Obama releases original long-form birth certificate" — CNN, April 27, 2011
Julia Pace (Associated Press). "Obama releases long form of his Hawaii birth certificate, decries 'silliness,' distraction" — StarTribune, April 27, 2011
"Certificate of live birth" — whitehouse.gov, April 27, 2011

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US Supreme Court upholds right to picket military funerals

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 01:49:14 GMT

Friday, March 4, 2011

The United States Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the First Amendment protects the free speech rights of an anti-gay church that pickets the funerals of U.S. soldiers, even if they use hateful and offensive language.

	As a nation we have chosen ... to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate.
—Chief Justice John Roberts

In an 8 to 1 decision, the Court upheld a lower court's ruling that struck down an award of US$5 million to a slain soldier's father, Albert Snyder. Snyder had sued Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas for picketing the funeral of his son, 20-year-old Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder who was killed in Iraq in 2006. Snyder said the protest caused him emotional pain and turned his son's funeral into a "circus."

Pastor Fred Phelps

The protest was well publicized, a SWAT team was called, and the funeral procession was diverted away from the protesters, who carried signs such as "Thank God for Dead Soldiers," "God Hates Fags" and "America Is Doomed." The funeral itself was not disturbed and it was carried out on public land, following local laws. Snyder learned of the content of the slogans only later on television.

Snyder's son was not a homosexual. The church pickets military soldiers' funerals because they believe that the United States is too tolerant of homosexuality and that the death of U.S. soldiers is divine retribution. They have picketed more than 600 funerals.

The Court's decision rested in part on the basis that the subject of the church's speech related to controversial public issues and was not a private attack on Snyder. "[The church] conducted its picketing peacefully on matters of public concern at a public place adjacent to a public street," Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote in his opinion for the court. "Such space occupies a special position in terms of First Amendment protection." Roberts said that large number of protests conducted by the church against many groups, including Catholics and Jews, is evidence that Phelps and his church were not personally attacking Snyder, but were "expressing deeply held views on public topics." Roberts wrote, "As a nation we have chosen ... to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate."

Samuel Alito, the only Justice to rule against the Church wrote that, "Our profound national commitment to free and open debate is not a license for the vicious verbal assault that occurred in this case. In order to have a society in which public issues can be openly and vigorously debated, it is not necessary to allow the brutalization of innocent victims."

Snyder was disappointed in the ruling: "My first thought was eight justices don't have the common sense God gave a goat. We found out today we can no longer bury our dead in this country with dignity."

Sources [edit]

David G. Savage. "Supreme Court sides with churchgoers who picketed military funeral" — Los Angeles Times, March 3, 2011
Robert Barnes. "Supreme Court rules First Amendment protects church's right to picket funerals" — The Washington Post, March 3, 2011
By The Associated Press and Herald staff. "Supreme Court says picketers allowed at funerals" — The News Tribune, March 3, 2011
"DoD Identifies Marine Casualty" — United States Department of Defense, March 6, 2006

External links [edit]

Snyder v. Phelps

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NASCAR: Tony Stewart wins 2010 Pepsi Max 400

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 10:21:26 GMT

Monday, October 11, 2010

NASCAR

NASCAR on Wikinews

22 October 2012: Matt Kenseth wins third NASCAR Sprint Cup race of 2012
1 May 2011: NASCAR driver Kyle Busch wins 2011 spring race in Richmond, Virginia
18 April 2011: NASCAR: Johnson beats Bowyer for victory in Aarons' 499
10 April 2011: Matt Kenseth wins 2011 NASCAR Samsung Mobile 500
21 March 2011: NASCAR driver Kyle Busch wins 2011 Jeff Byrd 500

File photo of Tony Stewart
Image: Kim Phillips.

Auto Club Speedway, the race track where the race was held.
Image: Will Pittenger.

Stewart Haas Racing driver Tony Stewart, who qualified twenty-second, won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2010 Pepsi Max 400 held on October 10, 2010 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, United States. This became his second win of the season.

Stewart was chased by Clint Bowyer up to the finish line, but they were not able to catch him this weekend. Following the race, Stewart moved to fifth in the points satndings after four of ten events in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Jimmie Johnson managed the third position in the closing laps of the race, after starting eighth on the grid. Pole position winner Jamie McMurray had a couple problems earlier in the race, which prompted him to a seventeenth place finish.

Kasey Kahne, from the Richard Petty Motorsports team, clinched the fourth position, after leading no laps during the race. Ryan Newman followed Kahne in fifth, while Mark Martin could only manage sixth.

Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, and Davis Reutimann rounded out the top ten finishers in the race. Other drivers in the Chase, such as Kurt Busch finished twenty-first, and Greg Biffle finished in forty-first.

Johnson maintained the Drivers' championship lead with 5,673 points, thirty-six points ahead of Denny Hamlin. Manufacturers' сhampionship standings is lead by Chevrolet with 221, 42 points ahead of Toyota and 80 ahead of Ford. Once the race concluded, Stewart commented, "We're doing everything we can do. We're going to need some help, but we're doing everything we can do. I'm proud of these guys, and just so thankful ... they refuse to give up, they refuse to back down. We'll just keep doing what we're doing here."

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Sister links [edit]

2010 Pepsi Max 400

Sources [edit]

Sporting News Wire Service. "Stewart wins at Fontana; Johnson pads lead" — NASCAR, October 10, 2010
"Official Results" — Motor Racing Network, October 10, 2010
"The Race: Pepsi Max 400" — Jaski.com, October 10, 2010
"Lap-by-Lap: Fontana" — NASCAR, October 10, 2010

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NASCAR: Greg Biffle wins 2010 Price Chopper 400

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:45:23 GMT

Monday, October 4, 2010

NASCAR

NASCAR on Wikinews

22 October 2012: Matt Kenseth wins third NASCAR Sprint Cup race of 2012
1 May 2011: NASCAR driver Kyle Busch wins 2011 spring race in Richmond, Virginia
18 April 2011: NASCAR: Johnson beats Bowyer for victory in Aarons' 499
10 April 2011: Matt Kenseth wins 2011 NASCAR Samsung Mobile 500
21 March 2011: NASCAR driver Kyle Busch wins 2011 Jeff Byrd 500

File photo of Greg Biffle
Image: Ford Racing.

Kansas Speedway, the race track where the race was held.
Image: Balaji.

Roush Fenway Racing driver Greg Biffle, who qualified fifth, won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2010 Price Chopper 400 held on October 3, 2010 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. This became his second win of the season.

Biffle was chased by Jimmie Johnson up to the finish line, but was not able to catch him this weekend. Following the race, Johnson became the points leader after three of ten events in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Kevin Harvick managed the third position in the closing laps of the race, after starting twenty-fourth on the grid. Pole position winner Kasey Kahne collided with the wall earlier in the race, which prompted him to a thirty-seventh place finish.

Tony Stewart, from the Stewart Haas Racing team, clinched the fourth position, after leading the most laps with 76. Jeff Gordon followed Stewart in fifth, while Carl Edwards could only manage sixth.

Matt Kenseth, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman, and A. J. Allmendinger rounded out the top ten finishers in the race. Other drivers in the Chase, such as Denny Hamlin finished twelfth, and Kyle Busch finished in twenty-first.

Johnson now heads the Drivers' championship with 5,503 points, eight points ahead of Denny Hamlin. Manufacturers' сhampionship standings is lead by Chevrolet with 212, thirty-seven points ahead of Toyota and 77 ahead of Ford. Once the race concluded, Johnson commented, "I know we came [into Kansas] second. Of course, I wanted to be leading. I could care less where the 11 [Hamlin] was [Sunday]. It's just not time to worry about that stuff. After Talladega, teams and drivers can work on a strategy of protecting or taking chances. We have to get deeper into the Chase to be concerned about who the points leader is."

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Sources [edit]

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

2010 Price Chopper 400

Jenna Fryer, AP. "Biffle wins Kansas to keep Sprint Cup hopes alive" — Yahoo! Sports, October 4, 2010
"Official Results" — NASCAR, October 3, 2010
"The Race: Price Chopper 400" — Jaski.com, October 3, 2010
Sporting News Wire Service. "Biffle gets needed Kansas victory; Chase tightens" — NASCAR, October 3, 2010

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Controversial U.S. abortion doctor shot dead in Kansas church

Sun, 31 May 2009 23:03:53 GMT

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Crime and law

Sources [edit]

Damien Pearse. "Late-term abortion doctor shot dead inside US church" — The Guardian, May 31, 2009
"Suspect in custody in death of George Tiller" — The Politico, May 31, 2009

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FDA warning on pistachios after salmonella contamination

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:57:17 GMT

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Health

Sources [edit]

Daniel J. DeNoon. "1 million pounds of pistachios recalled" — ABC, March 31, 2009
Daniel J. DeNoon. "FDA: Stop Eating Pistachios, Salmonella Feared" — WebMD Health News, March 30, 2009
Garance Burke. "FDA says to avoid pistachios amid salmonella scare" — The Associated Press, March 30, 2009
"Kroger recalling shelled pistachios over salmonella worries" — Dayton Business Journal, March 30, 2009 Arkansas

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Major snowstorm causes 35-car pile-up in western U.S.

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 00:11:15 GMT

Saturday, February 24, 2007

A fast, but potent, snowstorm passing through the United States state of Colorado dropped more than a foot of snow and caused a 35-car pile-up on one of the U.S.'s major highways, Interstate 70.

The collision happened Saturday morning when white-out conditions, caused by 68 MPH sustained winds, hit the area. Despite the pileup, officials report that there were no major injuries.

Interstate 70 was closed in both directions on Saturday, on a route from Denver to the Kansas state border, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. The storm also forced the closure of 125 miles of highway on Interstate 80.

A blizzard warning remained in effect for parts of Kansas and Nebraska.

Sources [edit]

Associated Press. "Storm causes 35-car pileup outside Denver, threatens Upper Midwest" — MSNBC, February 24, 2007
Dan Boniface. "High winds, poor visibility trigger pile-up" — KUSA-TV, February 24, 2007

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Sam Brownback on running for President, gay rights, the Middle East and religion

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 22:35:46 GMT

Monday, October 15, 2007

Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas

Sam Brownback is perplexed. The U.S. Senator from Kansas and Presidential candidate is a Republican whose politics—he is against marriage for gay people, he is against abortion, and he has a clean image in a party tainted by scandal—should speak favorably to the party's base. But it has not. "I'm baffled by that myself," Senator Brownback told Wikinews reporter David Shankbone. "We haven't been able to raise money."

A recent poll in Iowa has put him in eighth place, with 2% supporting his campaign. "If we don't finish fourth or better in Iowa...we'll pull out."

Senator Brownback's relationship with God infuses almost every answer you find below. Although he doesn't feel "competent" to explain why God would dislike gays, he does feel strongly that allowing two men or two women to enter into the union of marriage will destroy it for heterosexuals. Pointing to the research of Stanley Kurtz at the Hoover Institution, Brownback asserts that Northern Europeans have "taken the sacredness out of the institution."

In the interview, Senator Brownback discusses the tug-and-pull that befalls him when his constituents show up at his office and say, "Look, I'm a conservative, but we need this bridge, we need this subsidy, we need this hospital.” Brownback feels this spending system needs to be changed; however, when it comes to energy policy, Brownback is there for his constituents. David Shankbone asked the Kansas Senator, a supporter of cellulosic ethanol, why he doesn't support the lowering of tariffs on sugar since sugar ethanol delivers 8 times the energy output of cellulosic ethanol. Brazil, in particular, has become energy independent because of its sugar ethanol program. It's cheaper to produce, and there is vastly more bang for the buck in sugar fuel than in corn fuel; an entire country no longer needs to import oil because of it. Federal tariffs currently make sugar ethanol too expensive in the United States. "You're going to kill the ethanol industry here just as it gets going," was Senator Brownback's response. However, there is a debate over whether the process to make corn ethanol uses more energy than the ethanol itself produces.

Below is David Shankbone's interview with Senator Sam Brownback.

1 On running in and possibly leaving the Presidential race
2 On the role of religion in the Presidential race
3 On the culture of life
4 On the Iraq War and the Middle East
5 On gay rights
6 Brownback on Brownback
7 On environmentalism and energy
8 On Wikipedia
9 Sources

On running in and possibly leaving the Presidential race [edit]

David Shankbone: Senator Brownback, how are you?

Sam Brownback: I'm fine; headed into Iowa. I’m doing a big event with Joe Biden tomorrow on a political solution in Iraq.

DS: I read that.

SB: Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty excited about that. Maybe we can get some attention for a prospect that would really work.

DS: Is it pretty gratifying for you to work with people on the other side of the aisle to try and find solutions?

SB: It is, because I think it defies what the country views Washington as being, which is as so hopelessly polarized that it can't get anything done. It shows some hope that even on tough issues like Iraq, we can get things done. So I think it gives some hope to the country, too, when we do things like that.

DS: I remember sort of the old days where you'd hear about Ted Kennedy being best friends with Orrin Hatch; do you think that the Tom DeLay period ushered in an era where people were too opposed to each other on the sides of the aisle?

SB: Oh, I think we too often look for ways to fight, rather than ways to get along. And that's been a feature in recent years. Yeah, maybe that time is coming to a bit of an end as people have such low opinions of Congress and of politics, that maybe people will start finding these ways forward, and people will reward folks for doing that. We'll see. I don't know that the divisive period is over, but it does strike some interest in people when you do do it. Maybe we can.

DS: Running for President has to be a grueling experience, and there must be a million things that you see out there when you're on the road that either you had not thought about before or you didn't know existed. Could you tell me about one?

SB: Well, you know, I just heard one. I was doing a big NPR interview with a group out of Boston, doing a call-in, and I had a couple of callers coming from the left in the political spectrum talking about their willingness to more engage in a discussion of faith and cut back on abortion. I thought it was very encouraging--and these are quite sincere people--part of what they're looking for in the Democratic party is more of a way forward on tough issues that have been divisive. I found that very encouraging.

DS: That's great. Throughout my life, my father, who is an avid lifelong Republican, he used to tell me--this is a question that I'd asked Tom Tancredo as well, but I think it really comes down to one of the central issues in this race--he had said, "All we need is a Republican Congress, a Republican Senate, and a Republican White House to get the country on the right track." And last year, he expressed to me that he was very disappointed with where things have gone with the Republicans running things. He feels let down; he feels like he was lied to by the Party, either through the rationale for the Iraq war, the sex and bribery scandals, the pork barrel projects, and, as Alan Greenspan said, the fiscal irresponsibility. He feels like there have been many broken promises. Why should someone like my father vote Republican today? And I can assure you he will. But why do you think he should?

SB: If he's looking for any of those issues to be addressed by the Democrats, they're not going to be. And I would hope he could also see that we've got two people on the Supreme Court now that are, we hope, pro-life votes to overturn Roe versus Wade, that he will see that pro-life legislation was passed, that taxes were cut. And what I would also say to him is that I think we also have to see that the system is built to spend. I hear from Republicans and Independents alike that the biggest thing they've been upset about, if you set aside opinions on the war, has been spending. And the system's just built to spend. Whether Republicans or Democrats are in control, you just constantly get that. I've said many times—I’ve represented Kansas since 1995--I have yet to have a single constituent come in my office and say, "Hey, we're getting too much Federal money; would you please cut it?" I get all the time people saying, "Look, I'm a conservative, but we need this bridge, we need this subsidy, we need this hospital.” And the system's just built to spend. That's why you've gotta change the system, and I've been pushing aggressively, taking the BRAC military base closing commission process they'll use for military bases and applying it to the rest of government. So you've got an actual culling process that you're regularly requiring Congress to vote on. Because you've just got to change the system of its spending proclivities.

DS: When you think about dropping out of the race, what emotions do you feel?

SB: Well, that presumes I'm taking that step, and what we're--

DS: You've discussed it, and I'm just wondering when it's a thought that occurs to you-- not an inevitability---just when you think about it as a possibility, how do you feel when you reflect upon it?

SB: You know, what I've said is that if we don't finish fourth or better in Iowa that we'll pull out. And I think you just--if you look at it in that context, and I do, and this is a fabulous country, it's a great honor to be running for President, sharing big ideas with the country, and what a great place, that a guy can grow up on a farm in Eastern Kansas and run for President of the United States. I love a country like that.

DS: Do you feel sad when you think about possibly leaving?

SB: No, I feel the great honor of putting ideas out there, and we continue to do it. We're giving a big speech on Sunday in Boston, and we're going to talk there about the expansion of the pro-life agenda, the need for racial reconciliation and an official apology for slavery and segregation....continuous talk about big ideas.

On the role of religion in the Presidential race [edit]

Brownback reading to children at the Via Christi Family Practice Clinic.

DS: Evangelical candidates haven't fared particularly well in this primary season. What do you think is the reason for that?

SB: I don't know. I'm baffled by that myself. We haven't been able to raise money. But you would think we should be able to do that. If you look at both Mike Huckabee and myself in particular. I've had some difficulty based on the immigration issue, because I've supported a guest worker program. I think it's part of looking at every human as having dignity. We should try to enforce the laws, and we should enforce the laws and build a fence on the border, but at the same time see every person as a beautiful person created in the image of God, and that's been a very tough topic on our side of the aisle. Why we haven't gotten more traction, I don't know.

DS: The Democrats often have concerns about the electability of their candidates; Hillary Clinton, for example. Do you think that it might scare some people that in this point in time that Evangelicals aren't particularly electable?

SB: Oh, I suppose it could be. I suppose it actually applies in reverse more, in that the reason why Rudy Giuliani is getting support is because of 9/11 and he is seen as the most likely person able to beat Hillary. I think it probably applies to that setting more than not seeing an Evangelical as electable, because George Bush I think would generally be seen in that category and was elected twice.

DS: Do you think Mitt Romney's Mormonism is an issue that people should take into consideration?

SB: I don’t. There's no religious test for public office in this country. There shouldn't be. I think people should run on who they are and their record, and there I think he has a challenge, based on his record. But his faith should not be an issue.

DS: What if someone was a Zoroastrian?

SB: Well, let's see what their policies are. Uhh--

DS: Or a Satanist.

SB: Let's see what their policies are.

DS: Really?

SB: There's not a religious test in this country, and let's see what their policies are.

DS: Even though religious beliefs are so fundamental to a person? It's more of a policy issue than it is a faith issue?

SB: I think you'll see a person by what they produce, in their fruit, if you'll let me use that religious phrase. I think you'll know a person by their fruit. And that's what I think you'll see more coming through in people, and that that's what you should look for, and that's, I think, an observable--about how they live their own life, about what policies they advocate, about what are their priorities.

DS: If someone told you that they were scared to vote for someone who doesn't believe in evolution, what would you say to that person?

SB: Well, I'd say to them that, for my part, I think most people agree that Man is not an accident, and that evolution is something that's taught in science class by state standards, they're not set by the Federal government, really shouldn't be something that would enter into their mind, not a Federal issue, it's one that's set by the states. I think most people that are concerned about evolution from a faith side want to see more taught about the science of how we got here, both at the very start--how did we get the initial cells, the initial biological entities, how did we get this incredible physics set up of this planet, universe that could have a carbon-based system here, all based on science. Just teaching science. And to teach more science, not less, on it. For me personally, I just have no doubt that God created us. How he did it, what mechanisms he used, I don't know. The fact that he did it, I have no doubt.

DS: You don’t think that evolution is incompatible with an intelligent design theory? That we could have evolved based upon the evolution idea, but that it could have still been the work of God?

SB: There's some people that look at it that way. I think there's some--I think that's kind of an interesting way of looking at it. I don't--

DS: What's your personal belief on that?

SB: I don't know. Just what I said--that I don't know how God did it. A number of people would in what you're describing a kind of, I don't know what you'd term it, a faith-based evolution or--that's not the term that some would call it.

DS: It works.

SB: A guy at the Human Genome Project, Francis Collins, I've met with several times, I've read his book The Language of God, is in that category. And I find that very interesting. I think there's some rationality, too, when you look at the consistency of the genetic code between species, the different lengths, the different pieces that are in it, but there's a lot of the same genetic language that's there. Where I think we're really lost is we're segregating science and faith. And they ask and answer different questions. Science asks how, and faith asks why. And I think we'd be so much richer, and in societies in the past in Western civilization they did this a lot more, if you had the interaction of the two, of faith and science. Because these don't conflict. If they do, you need to either check your science or check your faith. But they conflict, and for most people's lives in the United States, they want somebody to strongly support science. And whatever we can do to understand better the cosmos and how we work and improve our lives. And yet it's a faith-based country. You have ninety percent of the country that believes in God. Most people, they don't see conflicts in this, and we would be so much richer if we had the discussion, rather than really trying to pit one against the other.

On the culture of life [edit]

DS: What do you think is the greatest threat to humanity?

SB: The lack of regard for life as being sacred I think would be my biggest threat to humanity.

DS: What is the culture of life? How would you describe that phrase?

SB: It's seeing all life, at all places, at all stages as beautiful and unique, sacred, a child of a loving God. To me that's what a culture of life is, and us having walked away from that, we've had millions of abortions here, hundreds of millions around the world, people that should be here but are not.

DS: Bobby Schindler, Terry Schiavo's brother, endorsed your candidacy by saying that "Sam Brownback is the pro-life conservative we can trust to stand for all life, regardless of political calculations." Do you think the death penalty detracts from the culture of life?

SB: I do, and that's why I am not a supporter of a death penalty, other than in cases where we cannot protect the society and have other lives at stake. But again, I understand people who support the death penalty saying, "This is different," whether it's an innocent human life or somebody that's committed a heinous crime. In trying to move forward with a culture of life, I think we need to try to do that in every setting, including the use of the death penalty by the State.

On the Iraq War and the Middle East [edit]

Brownback visiting the troops in Iraq.

DS: A common question I've asked in my interviews is about the Iraq War and how it has affected someone as a person. People often proffer their opinion on the war, but they don't really talk much about how it has affected them personally, perhaps in their world view. The writer Gay Talese insisted the war has not affected him at all. "I wish it had," he said. Talese thinks there's a problem with Americans not sacrificing enough, and he argued that we need conscription. Do you think we need conscription, if not to support the manpower of the war, to make Americans more involved with the wars that we are fighting?

SB: Absolutely not. I'm absolutely opposed to conscription. The military opposes conscription; they want a voluntary force that signs up to be a part of the military, not people that are forced into it. And I don't think that's a necessarily right way to look at it, as far as that we need to feel more of the pain of the conflict. We're getting close to four thousand young people that we've lost. I think a lot of people know individuals personally that have been touched by this war in that most difficult way. I think it's impacted a lot of people in very strong and profound ways.

DS: What you think the proper role of Congress is in a time of war?

SB: To declare it, which we did in the War Resolution on Iraq, is, I think, a proper role of Congress; to fund it, as we have been, and if people don't like the war, to stop the funding for the war. That's the role. I think there's an oversight role for Congress to play that can be very effective and helpful. I think there are suggestions that we can make, critical or complimentary in fashion, like what Joe Biden and I are doing on suggesting our political setup in Iraq is not working, and we think it should go another route. That ultimately has to be decided by the Iraqis, and not by us, but we can highlight these issues.

DS: Do you feel the American people were misled with the war in Iraq?

SB: Based on the information we had at the time, I do not. On what we have found since, we have not found weapons of mass destruction. But the information we had at the time, from our intelligence service and from intelligence services overseas, was that they had weapons of mass destruction, chemical and biological, and they were working on nuclear, and they had used them in the past, which we know they had--used them. There's also, I think, David, a real tendency, a decision made in 2003 through the eyes of 2007. In 2003, we're within two years of 9/11. The country is still in shock of what had happened at 9/11, and there was no way we were going to let somebody else, if we could stop it, get in a position to be able to use weapons of mass destruction, give them to terrorists, and come after us. And that seemed like an all-too-plausible scenario with Saddam Hussein having had weapons of mass destruction--we thought still had them. And having terrorists operate on this soil. We had a strong thought that he would mix the two against us. And we were not going to let that happen in light of that close proximity to 9/11. Now you go to 2007, you say, "Well, that doesn't seem like a very highly likely scenario, but in 2003, it seemed an all-too-plausible scenario. And the first charge of the Federal government is to protect the people. When a bipartisan majority strongly voted to support the war in Iraq, it was with the thought of protecting the American people.

DS: What do you think is going to happen to Egypt after Mubarak?

SB: It looks like now he's grooming his son, and they may well be able to pull off that succession. I would hope over a certain period of time they would get a more democratic, open economic system and that they would bring in people with the courage for that. I'm fearful of the Muslim Brotherhood taking over if there was an open election today in Egypt. It seems to me they have the upper hand in a general election in Egypt today.

DS: Do you think it's a bad idea to have elections in countries if it's possible that an Islamic extremist group will win, such as happened in Palestine with Hamas?

SB: No, I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea, but I also don't think elections necessarily mean that you're going to have an open, free society, as we've seen taking place in the Palestinian authority and the activities of Hamas and now them even throwing out Fatah from the Gaza Strip, and this huge conflict that's taking place there. I think we're just gonna have to be a lot more real politic about this in the Middle East and the Muslim region of the world, about how far you can push and how hard you can push the governmental systems without just going into the radical Islamic fascist regime. One of the things I think we've gotta push a lot better, David, is to have the governments there provide services to the people, like health care and education, that are all too often being provided by these radical Islamic groups, so that people look more to the radical elements to meet their daily needs than the role that the government should be playing. I think that's bad for us. I think it's bad for the governments of those countries, and they need to do better about taking care of their own people.

DS: Do you think that things like the Bridge to Nowhere are projects that shouldn't be funded? And I'm using that popular phrase--I realize it's a little emotionally charged--but things such as that.

SB: Yes, I agree that they shouldn't be funded. What I'd like to see is, again, you change the system. You require an authorization before you can get an appropriation, so I think that'll cut down more on those projects more than anything else.

DS: You support the Elon plan that would essentially allow Israel to keep the entire West Bank while taking little responsibility for its Arab residents. The plan is against U.S., Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian policies. Why do you think that would advance peace in the Middle East?

SB: Well, at first, I didn't endorse the plan. We put out a statement yesterday on this; I think this is an interesting entry into a discussion that we haven't gotten very far at all with, this land-for-peace-type concept. It has not produced peace. I think what you're seeing in the Gaza Strip just further clarifies that. The Palestinian authority was given full control over this--what happened, you had Hamas run Fatah out in a gun battle. That's not a civil society. What I'm saying here is that it seems to me a good idea to look at a different model where you can get settlement of the Palestinian refugees and bring the Jordanians back into the picture on the West Bank, so you're not--you're looking more at a stable country like Jordan being involved, rather than trying to have the Palestinian authority take over when they've just shown no capacity to be able to govern. That's why I think this is an interesting way for us to look forward. I have not and I do not endorse the plan, but I do think we've gotta get different models on the table for discussion.

On gay rights [edit]

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

Same-sex marriage

DS: I interviewed the writer Augusten Burroughs. I would like you to answer a question that he posed. He said that "God does not care that the person I watch TV with also has hairy arms, that the idea that a God would not like homosexuals is patently absurd, that it doesn't even begin to become logical in any way, that the idea that the architect of gravity, the being that created the ability for elemental particles that are absolutely nothing to come together and create living organisms and bricks and buildings and cars and jets, that the architect of absolutely everything would care about the sex of the person that this little human loves seems ridiculous." Why is that not ridiculous?

SB: I think He cares about everything. I don't know that everybody would take this as authoritative, but the Bible talks about a sparrow not falling without Him knowing that--He's numbered the hairs on your head, so that He cares about everything, and He's certainly a God of love-- He loves us very much. That's one of His central attributes, that He's a God of love, so I think He cares about everything and that there's nothing that would escape His view. We also have absolute free will to do as we see fit; we're not robots by any means. But I think He cares about everything.

DS: Why do you think it would bother God that somebody is gay?

SB: Well, you're asking a theological question on something I'm just really probably not competent to answer. It usually gets asked in a context of the institution of marriage, and there, where I think the great need is for our society, is to uphold the institution as it has been, to recognize its great contribution to the raising of the next generation, and to see that more people, more of our next generation, is raised in a setting where you have a mom and a dad bonded together for life. The reason there is a State interest is that in all the social data--we know from all the social data that the best place to raise a child, is between a mom and a dad bonded together for life, that your highest percentage of children in that setting will get a good education, will generally get a good working environment, life—they’ll perform best. Now you can raise a good child in a single-parent family; you can raise a terrible child in a two-parent, stable setting. So things don't always work that way. But we do know from all the data that the best place for most is in that two-parent setting. When you redefine marriage--the countries that have done this, they've see their marriage rates go down, and the institution be weakened, and fewer children raised in that setting. That's why I think it's important to really stand for marriage being the union of a man and a woman.

DS: In what country that has passed same-sex marriage has traditional marriage declined?

SB: The Netherlands--there's--Stanley Kurtz is the lead researcher on this. He's out at the Hoover Institute, and you see in--I've talked about when you pull the sacredness out of marriage, the marriage rates go down, you've seen this probably as pronounced as anywhere in a number of countries of Northern Europe, where you're now getting close to eighty percent out-of-wedlock birth rates on first children in some counties in Northern Europe. They've kind of gone from "Well, we don't really need to be married; anybody, any two people can get married"-you've just, you've taken the sacredness out of the institution. This is the work that I'm citing though, off of that.

DS: Got you.

SB: But it's looking at the totality of--within the last forty years, it's a different societal view of marriage.

DS: Why did you vote against the Federal expansion of hate crimes to include sexual orientation?

SB: Well, for a couple of reasons. One, it was in the defense bill, which I didn't think it was appropriate to be in there. Number two, it's a state issue. I think it's unconstitutional to put this out at the Federal level. For the Federal government to enact a crime, there has to be an interstate commerce nexus to it. Number three, the states are handling this well; the two cases cited--the {{w|Matthew Shephard|Shephard} case in Wyoming and the case in Texas, you've got the death penalty in one case and life imprisonment in the other. You can't get much harder on somebody there. And the final issue on this is that there's a substantial possibility of a chilling effect on free speech of people of religion--if there are ministers speaking from the pulpit on their view of homosexuality from a spiritual perspective.

DS: Ministers speaking out against homosexuality would come under the province of a hate crime?

SB: A number of people believe strongly that it will. Those are a series of reasons why.

See also: Wikinews Interview with gay marriage movement founder Evan Wolfson

Brownback on Brownback [edit]

DS: If you could choose your manner of death, how would you die?

SB: I hadn't thought much about that....

DS: It's a Marcel Proust question.

SB: Gosh, I don't know. I more just--I want to be prepared to die, that I would pray at that point in time that I'm ready to meet my Maker, that I have a clean soul, that I've done what the Lord would have required of me and have lived as loving and caring a life as possible.

DS: But you've never thought about how--if you could choose how you'd prefer to die?

SB: No, that's--

DS: It seems like such a basic human thing to contemplate, one's mortality. I mean, I believe you, but--

SB: I've contemplated my mortality a lot. Because I had melanoma eleven years ago, and I thought a long time about my mortality. But what it did to me, it didn't make me think about how I wanted to die; it made me think about how I was living. And I just wasn’t happy with how I was living.

DS: What weren't you happy with?

SB: I was too selfish; I was too ambition-driven. I was not paying near the attention to my family that I should have been. I was more interested in climbing the ladder, rather than helping people. And it really came around to me that if I were to die with this, I wouldn't have been happy with how I'd lived my life. And it just--it made my faith much stronger; it radically changed me, in looking at that.

DS: That was your--

SB: I still get it wrong a lot. I am nowhere, anywhere near perfect. I am a sinful, fallen man, but my faith really drives me much more now, and I do a lot of things that before, I wouldn't have done. And I'm much happier with my life now than before that episode.

DS: Was that your impetus to run for the Senate?

SB: No, but it did shape me, because it was just ahead of that run for the Senate that that episode happened.

DS: What trait do you deplore in other people?

SB: I have too many of my own I deplore; it's hard for me to pick on somebody else.

DS: Oh...

SB: I get judgmental quickly. I don't see, as I should, the image of God as much in others as I really want to. They're not traits in others that I deplore; it's ones in myself.

On environmentalism and energy [edit]

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

Ethanol fuel

DS: Do you believe that a good Christian should also be a good environmentalist?

SB: Yes.

DS: How so?

SB: Well, we're given the planet and given dominion over it, and I believe we should be good stewards of that. Now, the question becomes how do you do that, but I think the admonition to do that is God's creation, and we're the stewards of it. I think we clearly should be.

DS: And you don’t think that Arctic drilling contradicts that notion?

SB: I don't think the ANWR drilling has been proscribed. We're talking about drilling in an area--I think the size is about ten miles by ten miles in an area that's the size of South Carolina. We do need resources to be able to continue to run--that our dependency on foreign oil generally favors some people who are--who do a lot of pretty bad things, out of Iran, or Venezuela, and that if we were less dependent upon that they would have less chance of doing some of the things they're doing. To me, I think you've got to look at it in a balance…I'd love to see us using a lot more electricity in our car fleet, reduce our dependence on oil drastically.

DS: What about sugar ethanol?

SB: Sure. Sugarcane ethanol?

DS: Do you think we should lower tariffs on sugar in order to be able to import more Brazilian sugar ethanol?

SB: You're gonna kill the ethanol industry here just as it gets going.

DS: But it would reduce our dependency on foreign oil, thus increasing our national security, wouldn't it? Or is the ethanol industry here more important?

SB: Well, I think on the equation you're talking about, I think getting the ethanol industry here going--and particularly on cellulosic ethanol. And that's our big play to make here; we're--

DS: But the energy that you derive from that is so much less than it is in sugar ethanol.

SB: I don't--you may be right on that. I've not looked at that energy ratio, but--it's a sound environmental way to go, on cellulosic ethanol, and that's, I think, the big play we need to be making and pushing aggressively towards in this country for energy independence and good environmentalism. I'm the lead Republican on a bipartisan bill that pushes this concept, and a big piece of it is getting plug-in cars on the marketplace than can do the first twenty or thirty miles off of electricity instead of either gasoline or ethanol, because half of the country doesn't drive over twenty or thirty miles a day. And that way, you can really drop your imported oil use quickly; it's good for the environment, too.

On Wikipedia [edit]

DS: Senator, do you think that Wikipedia is important?

SB: Yes, a lot of people use it to get a quick kind of reference point review of a lot of different topics, including politics. And political figures.

DS: Definitely. What do you find important about it?

SB: Just that. I mean, it's an easy access; it can be amended. I've not used it, but I've been with other people that have accessed it and know a lot of people that all say, "Yeah, I looked it up on Wikipedia," so I know it's broadly and widely used.

DS: I tried to get an interview with David Miscavige of the Church of Scientology, and I spoke to their Director of Public Relations; I had about a twenty-minute phone call with him, and he was very hostile to it. One of the things that I'd said to him--because he was saying that a lot of information is incorrect--I made the point to him that, "You know, it may be incorrect, but the idea is that you can have Scientologists go on there to correct it." It's not a one-sided place for information; if you feel that there's inaccuracies, the idea is that you can also have people who know the truth go on there and correct it and debate about it, if that is what is necessary to get an accurate view. Whereas if you say something to Newsweek, and they print something that's incorrect, you're stuck.

SB: You're stuck, because that happened to us in Time magazine, and we got to do a nice letter to the editor that less than probably two percent of the people that read the big article saw. Wasn't fair that way. Hey, good to talk to you, David.

DS: Very good to talk to you. Best of luck, Senator Brownback.

SB: Thank you. Bye.

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Sources [edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

This exclusive interview features first-hand journalism by a Wikinews reporter. See the collaboration page for more details.

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Creekstone Farms sues USDA for refusing to allow mad cow testing

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 15:29:54 GMT

Monday, March 27, 2006

Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, an organic meatpacking company based in Arkansas City, Kansas, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for what the company claims is threats by the USDA that it would face prosecution if it proceeds with plans to test nearly 100% of its beef for Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease or BSE.

The USDA position is that allowing any meatpacking company to test every cow would undermine the agency's official position, a position that holds to random testing as a scientifically adequate measure to assure safety. It also claims that 100% testing does not ensure food safety because the disease is difficult to detect in younger animals.

The USDA currently tests about 1% of cattle slaughtered in the U.S. The USDA's objection is believed to be the result of pressure from larger meatpacking operations. In 2004, the president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association told the Washington Post that "If testing is allowed at Creekstone, we think it would become the international standard and the domestic standard, too." Creekstone Farms says tests cost about $20 per animal, increasing the cost of beef by about 10 cents per pound.

Sources [edit]

"Meatpacker Sues Feds Over Mad Cow Test" — Houston Chronicle, March 23, 2006
Jonathan Turley. "Creekstone Farms Slaughtered by USDA" — Los Angeles Times, April 20, 2004
Press Release: "Creekstone Farms Premium Beef Files Lawsuit Challenging USDA’s Ban on Voluntary BSE Testing" — Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, March 2006

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Kansas Professor assaulted by angry intelligent design supporters

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 21:01:25 GMT

Tuesday, December 6, 2005

Professor Paul Mirecki, the chairman of the Religious Studies Department at the University of Kansas, was hospitalized after being assaulted by two unidentified men who made references to the class he had planned to teach in the spring. The course, entitled "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies" was intended to support evolution, and explore creationism as a mythology.

Professor Mirecki had left his home and was driving to breakfast when he noticed the men tailgating him in a pickup truck. He said, "I just pulled over hoping they would pass, and then they pulled up real close behind." "They got out, and I made the mistake of getting out."

John Calvert, managing director of the Intelligent Design Network, had previously objected to Professor Mirecki's focus on creationism as mythology, and claimed that the religious studies professor was "labeling anybody who proposes [intelligent design] to be simply a religious nut".

Paul Mirecki had already decided to cancel the course after he caused controversy by using the slang term "fundies" to refer to Christian Fundamentalists in an email to a student organization, the Society for Open Minded Atheists and Agnostics. Professor Mirecki has apologized for using the term, which is viewed as a slur by some conservatives.

Sources [edit]

"Professor beaten; attackers cite KU creationism class" — The Wichita Eagle, December 6, 2005
"College course seeks to debunk intelligent design" — CNN, November 22, 2005

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