Updated Political Profile of Members of the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission:  Still 6 Democrats, 2 Republicans, 1 Republican for Moore

This article briefly discusses a recent paper by KU Law Professor Stephen J. Ware about the imbalance in power in the selection of Kansas Supreme Court judges, and then shows how politically skewed the current members of the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission are.  Kansas Bar Association President, Linda Parks, who is a big  Democratic Party contributor, defends the current system but fails to mention her political leanings. 

AG Morrison wants independent investigation by the Kansas Board for Discipline of Attorneys of professional misconduct allegations against him.  But near majority on this Board are contributors to either Morrison or Sebelius!

How many Board members would need to recuse themselves?  What if criminal or civil laws were broken?  Who investigates that?

"Wichita Voters for Truth" Political Action Committee Ignores Reporting Requirements.  Can any Kansas PAC now use this reporting scam?

A group of political activists in Wichita created a PAC and mailed a negative hit-piece against a State Rep candidate.  The PAC closed it postal box without a forwarding address but never filed a campaign contribution report in Jan 2007.  

If the Kansas Ethics Commission refuses to take action against this group of political activists, does everyone gets to use this scam and not file their January 2009 contribution reports by simply not leaving a forwarding mailing address?

Why did a Kansas Supreme Court Justice Change Political Parties?

Will Justice Luckert's husband's political contributions ever cause a conflict of interest for her?

Why all the secrecy in the Kansas Supreme Court?

Will Phill Kline survive a legal/political battle with the Supreme Court in a secret case?  How did Paul Morrison know to get involved in this secret case?

Update:  State judge hearing Kline case in private, Lawrence Journal-World, Dec 9, 2007

KCTV5 Stalks Innocent Women, Teenage Girl, and Others

First-year Johnson County school teacher thought "psycho killer is stalking me" on her way to school.  Shawnee County parents thought a child predator may be stalking their kids near a school.  Oh, it's just KCTV 5 investigating Phill Kline.

Overly aggressive, ethics-challenged KCTV 5 "investigative reporters" seem more interesting in making the news than reporting news.  Will Channel 5 report on the two known calls to 911 and two known calls to county sheriffs about their stalking?  Why can the news media intimidate and terrorize innocent citizens?

Dec 8 Update:  Sources say KCTV5's Special Projects and Investigations Producer Sam Zeff was fired.  But the KCTV5 action had nothing to do with their hit-piece?

"Bankrupt" KDHE Secretary Rod Bremby Still Gave $500 to Sebelius Last Year

Why did Bremby fire Dr. Howard Rodenberg as the state's top health official?

Integrity of Kansas Elections Less Important to IRS than "Privacy Rights" of Groups Abusing Non-Profit Laws

The IRS is ignoring the rights of the citizens of Kansas to know anything about the two non-profit  groups that spent almost $450,000 in the 2006 elections.  There's something very wrong when a "non-profit" only exists to send political mailings in the weeks before an election, yet no one at the IRS seems to care.  Why is the IRS hiding  information from  the public about who is really behind these "non-profits"?  Today an IRS official claimed there is NO APPEAL to such denied  information requests and no information will ever be released about these non-profits.

In the 2005-2006 election cycle the Kansas Alliance for Education PAC formed to oppose all conservative candidates for the Kansas Board of Education, and had a dramatic impact on those races.  What's to keep them from expanding their goals and political influence to all Kansas elections, including State Representative and State Senate races in 2008?

Political Money:  Kansas Campaign Finance Disclosure Less of a Problem Than AWOL Kansas Press?

A national group gave Kansas a "D" grade on campaign disclosure (we deserve a "B"), but this assessment is unfair especially given how awful the Kansas Press is reporting political money stories. 

Four Slices of the Kansas Political Pie:  

• Kansas Political Contributions to State Candidates 1991-2006

• Contributions by Day Over Two Year Election Cycle 1991-2006

• Comparison of Money Raised by Morrison to Money Raised by Kline 2005-2006

• New Voters in Kansas 2005-2006

Kansas Traditional Republican Majority and Kansas Democratic Party share major contributors

KTRM and the KDP shared four major political donors giving $10,000 or more, including the KNEA PAC, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce PAC, the Heavy Constructors PAC, and Tim Gill from Denver

Paul Morrison's Political Lifesaving Cure:  $284,000 in supportive political mailings and phone calls

Some voters received three "lifesaving" mailings in support of Paul Morrison in addition to six Snoop Dog mailings.  Nine mailings in total -- and Paul had nothing to do with them.

Hillary’s embarrassment is now Kathleen’s embarrassment? 

Kathleen Sebelius received a campaign contribution from Hillary Clinton's controversial donor, Norman Hsu, who was arrested on fraud charges

Where are Kansas newspaper stories about this?  The last Kansas news story about "Sebelius and "Turkey" was "Sebelius comes up cold turkey in hunt".
Update:  Sept 2, Kansas City Star:  Sebelius attends posh Bilderberg conference

The Snoop Dog Page,  which was originally created in late Oct 2006, was updated with additional information:  The Snoop Dog mailings apparently were printed in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and possibly mailed from Chicago.  There is some evidence that a large left-leaning direct mail giant, MSHC Parners from Washington, DC, was behind the mailings. Not surprisingly, MSHC Partners has ProKanDo PAC as a client.  Additional conclusions may not be possible until the IRS forces the "non-profit" Kansans for Consumer Privacy Protection to file an IRS Form 990 and give information on their expenditures.

In the weeks before the Nov 2006 elections, the "non-profit" group, Kansans for Consumer Privacy Protection received $95,700 in "member dues" from the ProKanDo PAC, which appears to be legal.  But how is the later $34,000 transfer from the non-profit back to the PAC legal under state or federal law?  Why is this non-profit exempt for federal laws and doesn't register with the IRS?  Why hasn't this non-profit filed an IRS 990 Form?  Why doesn't the IRS even know this non-profit exists?

Sept 11 Update:  In a letter the IRS in Dallas refuses to answer questions about why the  Kansans for Consumer Privacy Protection "non profit" never filed an IRS8871 or IRS990.  

Tiller's ProKanDo PAC didn't do much last year since it didn't make the list of top 20 PACs in Kansas?  Hardly.  ProKanDo raised and spent more money than any other Kansas Political Action Committee.  When will the press notice the influence Tiller's political money has bought in all levels of Kansas government?  

Aug 20

What's the motivation for complete reporting of political money in Kansas?  Any error, regardless of how large, seems to be treated as a clerical error.  Getting a political money report in Kansas right the first time just doesn't matter.  

If this scheme is legal, Kansas PACs will only need to report the names of fundraisers and not the names of the actual contributors.  But is this scheme legal?

Kansas PACs in the "Top Ten" List During Election Years 2002, 2004, 2006

Who are the political "big money" players in Kansas over the last three election cycles?

Governor Sebelius Rewards $13,700 Democratic Donor, Chuck Droege, with Johnson County District Judgeship

Sebelius' liberal influence on Kansas courts through her appointment of liberal, Democrat judges will be felt for many years.

Case Study of State Rep Gene Rardin's Election:  The Kansas Democratic Party's Method of Buying a State Representative Via Their Kansas Coordinated Campaign 

Did the Kansas Democratic Party have anything to do with the "negative" mailings by ProKanDo-related non-profit, Progress Kansas?

Sept 11 Update:  In a letter the  IRS in Dallas refuses to answer questions about why the Progress Kansas "non profit" never filed an IRS8871 or IRS990.

Republican State Rep Stephanie Sharp endorses "Republican for Moore" to be her replacement

Are "Democrats" being honest in the election process:  Is a contributor to liberal Democrat Howard Dean a "Republican"?   Isn't a "Republican for Moore" really a Democrat?  Update (July 18):  Republican for Moore Quigley elected to replace Sharp.

Pictures from Greensburg as rebuilding begins

Rebuilding Greensburg is a huge challenge after their monster tornado.  My son has been in Greensburg helping during much of the last month.  Here are some pictures he sent me today.

Sebelius re-appoints Tiller's attorney, Monnat, to serve on Kansas Sentencing Board with Paul Morrison.

Isn’t this getting a bit too cozy legally and politically?

Bill O'Reilly:  What's the Matter with Kansas?
"Governor Kathleen Sebelius is protecting Tiller ... She is not fit to serve."

Why won't the Kansas press report the tragic barbarism and infanticide in Wichita? 

Kansas City Star's Editorial Board Blinded by Their Political Agenda

Political character assassination is an editorial tool while facts and Kansas law are ignored?  Is the Star weak on crime?

Bob Novak finds where Gov. Sebelius was during Greensburg tornado:
Jazz Festival in New Orleans!  [Update:  Disputed by Wichita Eagle Blog]

Sebelius acted like a politician during  disaster when we needed a leader.  Why isn’t this story reported by the Kansas press?  

Mother Nature is So Amazing

In a rare break from news reporting and political commentary, see pictures of baby robins as they grow and learn about the world.  (Updated May 19)

Kansas Democratic Party "Talking Points" are to attack Bush about the war, but nothing about helping victims in Greensburg?

Obama goofs and claims 10,000 people died in Kansas because of Democrats' desire to bash Bush instead of helping victims.

KMBZ's Bill Grady invents ethics case against JoCo D.A. Kline:  Grady "had no interest in the facts or the truth."

Grady has ethics problems because his picture is on this web page?

All but one of the Board of Regents have significant political money ties to Governor Sebelius.  How credible can this group be when it's largely a political body?  Can this group make "independent" decisions?    Could a gubernatorial election cause building deterioration at the state universities?  Why is responsible state government so hard?

The blatant bias by members of the Kansas City Star is unbelievable.  

The Hays Daily News didn't report the whole story from Morrison's visit on Friday. Will Morrison continue this in Garden City and Colby on Tuesday?

"Independent" Attorney General Morrison on Short Legal Leash with Governor Sebelius? "Lottery gaming facilities" coming to Kansas?

Governor, Attorney General, Courts to provide casinos to Kansas citizens
when Kansas Constitution only allows a "lottery"?

Why is Sebelius appointing one of Tiller's attorney's to the Sentencing Commission when she has benefited politically so much from Tiller's political contributions? 

Governor Sebelius establishes a nominating committee and then appoints a Democratic Party activist to Magistrate Judge in Hutchinson. ALL members of Sebelius' nominating committee (except the chair) were Sebelius' political contributors.

The selection of judges in Kansas continues to be a biased, partisan  process and in need of reform, yet the Kansas press pretends it's a fair and impartial process and devoid of any politics.

Mar 29

Have you ever seen CBS 60 Minute’s Andy Rooney’s comments about government and gambling?  And we may soon have Kansas Government owned casinos?

Does this make any sense? How will anti-war Boyda “help” the military in Kansas, and Fort Riley, in particular?

The press widely reported "Kline says he doubts he'll run again for public office," but misses Kline's point:  "I am tired of our inability to discuss substantive issues" and Kline implied the press was the problem.

KMBC's news reporting is a good example others should emulate.  Their reporting style  should help stimulate public discussion of substantive issues.  The left-leaning Star emphasizes their desire to get Kline out of office. 

Why are the coordinated efforts of the ProKanDo PAC and the Kansans for Consumer Privacy Protection non-profit exempt from Kansas Law?  ProKanDo blog proudly takes credit.

Weak Kansas Laws Allow "Heavy" Missouri Group to Hide Their Political Involvement in Kansas Politics.

How can a Missouri PAC, which is possibly the #2 Kansas PAC over the last two years,  hide their political money spent on Kansas Politics?  How can a PAC spend more money than they reported raising?   $151,840 spent:  $67,978 spent in Missouri + $198,300 spent in Kansas = mystery math? 

Kline takes questions from concerned citizens of Johnson County.  "I wouldn't vote for me either if I only knew what was published in the Star."

83 Republicans for Moore have re-registered as Democrats in Johnson County.  What's the difference between a Republican in Name Only (RINO) and a Democrat?  

What about the 100,000 Kansas voters without valid mailing addresses?

What to do when writing one check for $35,000 to the Kansas Democratic Party would be illegal:? Write SIX checks!  If the Democrats really can legally use their state party and all four of their congressional district party committees as a single “political superfund”, the Republicans should do exactly the same thing.

Why does Sebelius have a Bluestem Fund PAC when her campaign was awash with money?

"The 'good' people, the 'cool' people, the 'smart' people in Kansas ... [are] ...  embarrassed by their state."

Joyce Morrison starts mass E-mail campaign.  Paul Morrison writes letter to JoCo Board of Commissioners.  Why isn't Morrison focusing on being the new Kansas Attorney General?