Posted on Mon, Oct. 12, 2009

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Kansas views

Prison sex —Reports of the illicit drug and sex trade between employees and inmates at the Topeka Correctional Facility make it abundantly clear the Kansas Department of Corrections needs to improve its security measures and increase supervision of its workers. The story of an inmate at the 550-bed women's prison who became pregnant during a tryst with a plumbing instructor — and ultimately chose to have an abortion — exposed the sordid things that can happen when an inmate population hungry for cash and contraband from the outside finds staff members willing to meet those demands for a price, usually sexual favors.— Topeka Capital-Journal

Indian apology — The Senate approved a resolution apologizing to American Indians. The official statement, which was introduced by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., indicates remorse for years of ill- conceived policies and acts of violence toward American Indians. "Hopefully," Brownback said, "this apology will help restore the relationship between the United States and Native Americans." With all due respect to the senator, we're not as hopeful. Apologizing for misdeeds that took place centuries ago strikes us as rather short on substantive meaning. The broken promises and treaties, massacres, thefts and forced relocations are all in the past. Present-day conditions on purposefully isolated reservations include extreme rates of poverty, crime, illiteracy, infant mortality and substance abuse. The Senate resolution does not address any of these modern problems.— Hays Daily News

Polluters — The Environmental Protection Agency proposed regulations to require power plants, factories and refineries to reduce greenhouse gases by using the best available technology whenever a facility is built or significantly changed. The proposal goes after the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases — industrial plants that emit at least 25,000 tons of greenhouse gases a year. These large sources are responsible for 70 percent of the greenhouse-gas emissions — mainly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels — that are released in the United States, the EPA said. Whether the EPA has the latitude to do this under the Clean Air Act is being challenged by industry groups and also some Republicans in Congress, who are trying to block the regulations. While the legality needs to be ascertained, in theory this approach seems logical and reasonable.— Hutchinson News

KU lawsuit — More than a year after Joe-College.com was ordered to pay $127,000 in penalties for selling T-shirts that jurors decided violated or diminished KU trademarks, the store owners were ordered to reimburse Kansas Athletics Inc. for $667,507 in attorney fees and expenses associated with the case. Joe-College isn't blameless, and it might have been a good business decision for the owners to work with, rather than thumb their noses at, KU. On the other hand, KU — which is continuing to run up legal costs that it may try to recoup later — comes across looking like a Goliath who is pursuing some kind of personal vendetta against a small-business David. —Lawrence Journal- World

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