EMPORIA, Kan. - "Liberty" group's film was poorly attended. A small group of "Patriot" activists put on a video extolling the dangers to the liberty of citizenry from the current federal government. The usual suspects were discussed, offshore, foreign entities controlling the Federal Reserve and usurping American sovereignty. In a discussion session following the video, topics ranged from the unconstitutional nature of requiring permits for Tea Party demonstrations in Emporia to the unconstitutionality of states requiring childhood vaccinations.

The promoter cited U.S. Rep. Ron Paul favorably but also suggested that the government is unduly influenced by The Council on Foreign Relations, The Trilateral Commission and the Bilderburg folks. Perhaps this is a sign of the coming redirection of the Tea Party movement (falling back into the debunked conspiracy theories of the past) or maybe it represents a fracturing of the movement.

HAYS, Kan. - Kansas Secretary of State Chris Biggs will be on hand as the Ellis County Democratic Party opens its 2010 Election Headquarters on Wednesday, September 29 at 6 p.m.

The headquarters is located at 107 W. 10th Street in Hays. Please come and welcome the Secretary of State, take some yards signs to show your support for the candidates, and let the Democratic Party in Ellis County know how you can help.

COUNCIL GROVE, Kan. - Numbers can help us understand the story of Council Grove and the Kanza.

In September 1860, the Council Grove Press summarized the federal census conducted earlier that summer, giving us a snapshot of Council Grove and Morris County at that time. Two years later a detailed census conducted on the reservation by officials of the Office of Indian Affairs provided a picture of the Kanza people.

In July 1860, 775 Euro Americans lived in Morris County. Of these 230 -- all white males either born in the United States or naturalized Europeans -- could vote. In the column labeled "colored persons" there were none. There were 443 males (57%) and 332 females.

GREAT BEND, Kan. - In his twelve short years of living in Kansas, Mike Pompeo misses the obvious in so many ways.

One of the primary jobs of the 4th Congressional District Congressman is to make sure Wichita continues it's historic role as the arsenal for our fighting men and women around the globe.

Uncle Sam and Wichita have a long and successful partnership in building the best airplanes for our fighting men and women. But Pompeo doesn't think that, as a Congressman, he should do anything to nurture this relationship between Kansas and the United States of America's military. He's against "Big Government," and wants to slash spending. But what if "Big Government" is your friend?

Whether the 4th District Congressman is Garner Shriver, or Dan Glickman or Todd Tiahrt, it is the duty of the Wichita Congressman to "bring jobs back to Kansas" in the form of defense contracts to build airplanes.

EMPORIA, Kan. - I know I'm going to take a lot of heat for this stand, but it's something I've prayed about for a long time and feel I should go on record. Let me preface this by saying that this is not a blue and red thing, this is not a Republican and Democrat thing. This has nothing to do with Glenn Beck's patriotism or his political insight.

I often listen to Mr. Beck in the mornings on my way to work, and while I disagree with some of the things he says, a lot of his political insight is fairly spot on. This is about Christianity and Mormonism; this is about evangelicals and Mormons.

This is a piece about faith as I know it.

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Thursday night, about 250 people from Lawrence and surrounding areas are expected to converge on South Park at 12th and Massachusetts Streets. In gathering, they will share a common goal - to Take Back the Night.

Take Back the Night is an international movement that aims to eradicate domestic violence and sexual assault through awareness, education, and activism. The movement began in Philadelphia, PA in October of 1975. Original organizers of the first march came together because they were outraged that a young woman was murdered while walking only blocks from her home.

WICHITA, Kan. - Kansas NOW is proud to be a co-sponsor for the Women in Government Forum at Wichita State University. The forum's intent is to open the discussion of women in politics, specifically relating to gender within the context of the modern political landscape. The forum is the first of its kind at Wichita State University.

Panel participants will be Senator and Lieutenant Governor candidate Kelly Kultala, Senator and former 4th Congressional District candidate Senator Jean Schodorf, City Councilwoman, LaVonta Williams and USD 259 School Board Member, Barbara Fuller.

MCDOWELL CREEK, Kan. - Chase Co. rancher Jane Koger includes an unusual line in her return address. In addition to the names of her ranch, town, and state, she also locates herself in the "Republic of Grass." Four generations of her family have earned their living on the tall grass prairie, she says, and as long as the "republic" endures, many more can do the same.

The "Republic of Grass" extends throughout the Flint Hills, where miraculously, some 5 million acres of native prairie still exist. These gorgeous autumn days offer a splendid opportunity to get to know the grassy citizens of that Republic, as the grasses have gone to seed now, and their seedheads are their nametags. In the spring, grass seedlings look alike, and it can take a magnifying glass to tell them apart. But now, with their identifying seedheads in full view, it is easy to recognize them, even from a distance. Take a hike on the prairie or a drive along Flint Hills roads, and you will see the grasses nodding to you, introducing themselves.

BASEHOR, Kan. - In the past 12 hours, through a conversation at a party, and a magazine article, I've had confirmation of something that's been bothering me for months.

Last night I sat and talked with a woman whom I've met a couple of times before at parties. While we've never talked politics before, last night we discussed our feelings and attitudes about the current situation with the Federal government, and politics in general. She allowed as how she generally votes for Republican candidates, although she does her homework and votes for the candidate rather than the party. She said that, of all the politicians she could think of, the one who impressed her the most was Bill Clinton. She went on at some length about his intellectual brilliance, policy wonkishness, and command of seemingly trivial details that made the difference in so many arm-twisting sessions with political opponents. And, despite her grave disappointment in his philandering, she still gave him the benefit of the doubt when it came to governing. My response, which I've made numerous times before, is that even the most conservative among the American people would much rather trust a philanderer than they'd trust someone who'd steal their money and tell them it was for their own good--i.e., Republicans. She laughed and said that she agreed.

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Our annual Community Cultural Harmony Week (CCHW) provides the community with the opportunity to stretch boundaries and leave one's usual comfort zones in order to arrive at new levels of understanding on a personal and communal level about the human diversity that surrounds us.

Founded 22 years ago by Barbara Baker to targeted general problems and concerns of both U.S. and international citizens, the Week was the direct result of an unfortunate incident that occurred in what was then Bushwacker's Club in Aggieville in June of 1987. Puerto Rican students had rented the club to celebrate the day of San Juan (St. John the Baptist), the patron saint of the island and of its capital city. Bushwacker's employees hung signs that referred to San Juan, using obscene language, and the case was finally taken to the state attorney general's office, with the decision against the club for its actions.

COLBY, Kan. - Senator Sam Brownback is retiring from the U.S. Senate. Let's make his retirement from elected office permanent.

I didn't get to see or listen to the debate between Holland and Brownback at the Kansas State Fair, but from comments I've heard from others, it was quite interesting and Tom tossed out a few burning coals for Sam to try dancing over.

This url has some very interesting information. Check it out.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Star reports that of 1,855 Kansas Public Schools, 255 failed to meet their AYP (adequate yearly progress) targets set by the No Child Left Behind act, George W. Bush's signature education program. Failure to meet the targets means that schools will lose their funding under the provisions of the law. If a school does not perform under these standards, they are punished by having their money cut off. Presumably the schools will do a better job educating the kids with less money.

GREAT BEND, Kan. - Complaining and criticizing are easy. Putting thoughts into action is the hard part. Many of us complain about our governments out of control spending, our society's treatment of others, and the way our society is heading. Few of us do more than complain.

I like people that put things into action; people that invest in their communities through hard work. Adopting a child alleviates the state from paying for a child in foster care each month, you are helping the government spend less, giving a foster child a home (some go through the system, never to be adopted), and investing in our societies future.

TOPEKA, Kan. - Yesterday the Topeka Capital-Journal reported that Kansas is cutting funds for journalism education because "some don't feel journalism will be a viable profession in the future." Welcome to the Third World. What has happened is that the government channeled so much money into wars and the mushrooming military industrial complex that there is little left to run our country at home. And things are only getting worse. Brace yourself.

MANHATTAN, Kan. - August 26th marked the 19th Amendment's 90th anniversary. On August 18, 1920, the Tennessee General Assembly, by a one-vote margin became the thirty-sixth state legislature to ratify the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. On August 26, 1920, Tennessee  Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the amendment's adoption.  Women finally had universal suffrage in the U.S.  The campaign to achieve this feat had taken 72 years to complete.

The campaign began in 1848, when Gerrit Smith was nominated as the Liberty Party's presidential candidate and included in his acceptance speech a demand for "universal suffrage in its broadest sense, females as well as males being entitled to vote."  A month later, on July 19-20, 1848, in upstate New York, the Seneca Falls Convention on women's rights was hosted by Lucretia Mott, Mary Ann M'Clintock and Elizabeth Cady Stanton; some 300 attended including Frederick Douglass, who stood up to speak in favor of women's suffrage to settle an inconclusive debate on the subject.

While women nationally did not get the vote until 1920, Kansas and it's progressive leaders gave women the right to vote in 1912.

DODGE CITY, Kan. - How long do we have to keep listening politely while our friends and neighbors get fooled into believing the gibberish they are fed by Fox News? The biggest stockholder of News Corporation, the parent company of Fox News, is Rupert Murdoch, the official owner. The second largest is Walid bin Talil, a practicing Muslim. Yet, Fox News, through its various hired commentators (think Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, etc.) continues to spew forth hatred, saying our president, Barack Obama, is a Muslim. If their company's ownership is shared by a Muslim, do they really care about Obama's religion? Or do they just want to raise an issue to tear down this administration? It's pretty obvious they want to inflame and cause emotional turmoil. They want people to be frightened, angry, and bewildered, so they can be duped into believing what Fox puts out.

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Kenneth O'Keefe, former U.S. Marine and veteran of the 1991 Gulf War who has become an outspoken activist critic of U.S. military policies in the Middle East, will speak at K-State University's Forum Hall on Tuesday October 5th at 7:00 pm.

Following the 1991 Gulf War, he spoke out about the use of depleted uranium in that war as a "crime against humanity" and that the US military used soldiers as "human guinea pigs" with experimental drugs that were directly linked to Gulf War syndrome.

WICHITA, Kan. - Poetry rocked the room at the Riverside Perk in Wichita, on a recent Sunday evening, and it will rock the whole outdoors again with readings and a human peace sign on Sept. 21 at Poetic Justice.

The Perk air conditioning went out just as poetry and peace lovers arrived, but that didn't stop the performance. People made their own brand of cool with poetry ranging from rap to rhyme to free verse.

The Peace and Social Justice Center and the Youth Peace Center sponsored the Poetry Slam. All ages came to the event, which launched the latest Youth Peace Group initiative, Poets for Peace, who plan to visit such locations as juvenile detention centers, youth organizations, and long-term care facilities engendering youth empowerment by teaching the benefits of self-expression and public speaking.