Hays, Kansas - A former commander, under whom I served in 1973 and 1974, has become, over the years, a very good friend. The bond is secured by the fact that we shared a friend, now deceased, of "best friend" stature to both of us. Colonel P____ and I correspond frequently. In a recent message to him, I reminisced as to how indebted I am to him for certain actions he took on my behalf prior to my departure from his command in Korea. He replied to the effect that no one is "indebted" to someone for simply doing his duty. He stated, in effect, that his two major interventions on my behalf, thirty-six years ago were warranted and deserved, that it was his duty to intervene, and that not only I, but the Army, benefited.

We are all familiar with those holders of public trust, holders of elective or appointive office, here in Kansas, in other states, or nationally, civilian or uniformed, who use public assets or public actions as "trade goods" for their own enrichment or advantage. In other words, they are using what belongs to the public, and which should have been devoted to the public good, as though it is their own property, to give or withhold according to their own personal advantage. This is the connotation of "indebted" of which Colonel P___ was wary. He was right.

I'm usually careful with words, usually careful to make fine distinctions, but in this case should have chosen my words with greater care. The topic of duty was a matter both Colonel P____ and I recognize as centrally important to honor and principle. Yes, I agreed that others are not indebted to us when we simply do our duty, whether so doing is easy or difficult. Doing our duty is why we are here, and we should not consider, even for a moment, doing otherwise, no matter whether those involved are grateful, resentful, or totally uncaring. (Parenthood is an example that almost anyone can understand, of duty done with no expectation of reward.) Having been more than ready to concede that, I must say, nevertheless, that my life would have taken a very different course, had Colonel P____ not intervened in those ways I (perhaps awkwardly) described in my communication to him. I must add also that I was subordinate to many, many persons during my military career. Only a very, very few met the standard of duty which Colonel P___ cited. Most of those to whom I was subordinate were self-serving. Most simply did not "rock the boat" on any matter of principle or on anyone's behalf if there was no immediate payoff to themselves. Many "used" others to their own advantage. Some were competent. Many were not. Some were kind and decent, but lazy. A very few were actively unkind (as a matter of some obscure and distorted principle, or simply because they were bad people). Some deceived subordinates for operational reasons. Some deceived subordinates simply to manipulate or keep subordinates off balance. Some actively discounted or downplayed the accomplishments of subordinates, then secretly represented to higher command innovations by their subordinates as being of their own design. Many engaged in "empire-building" -- merely expanding the number of persons under their control, under contrived justification, for résumé purposes, or equivalent. My point in my original message to Colonel P___ was that I am aware and appreciative, constantly, of actions he took, relative to me, at critical times. "Indebted" was the wrong word. I have given a great deal of study and thought to ways in which an organization can operate efficiently and effectively in mission terms, while minimizing damage to its members, and maximizing development and commitment. I admit that my interest in such things was largely the result of bad example and bad experience, but good example and good experience played a part also. Colonel P___ was a good example to me, and he provided a memorably favorable experience.

MANHATTAN, Kan. - On March 23, 2010, after a year of partisan fighting, President Obama signed into law a bill that reform the nation's $2.5 trillion health-care system. Known as the H.R.3590 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, this legislation will expand health care coverage to 31 million uninsured Americans through a combination of cost controls, subsidies and mandates. The cost of this reform is estimated to run close to $848 billion over a 10 year period. The cost is to be fully offset by new taxes and revenues and would actually reduce the deficit by $131 billion over the same period.

One thing for sure is that an abundance of disinformation about this legislation is streaming out of the Right's propaganda machine. In an effort to provide the public with tools to separate fact from fiction about H.R. 3590, the Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice (MAPJ) will host an informational Health Care Forum on Monday, 26 July, from 5:30-7:00pm at the Manhattan Public Library Auditorium.

WICHITA, Kan. - I don't know who first used this phrase in relationship to abortion, but I do remember the first person I heard say it. It was Bill Clinton who, in 1992, said he wanted to make abortion "safe, legal, and rare." He even went so far as to call abortion a "tragedy." (How he would know this is a mystery, having never experienced the procedure himself. He should visit the web site I'm Not Sorry.com to find out how real women feel about this issue.) Since then many nominal pro-choice, mainly male, mainly Democratic candidates for public office, including Pres. Obama, have use this mantra to deal with the scary issue of women's reproductive rights.

WICHITA, Kan. - A new ruling by the Supreme Court states the right to bear arms is a fundamental right. Really? Why just a gun? Should we then have the right to bear a sword? An Uzi? A taser? Why not?

According to various philosophers and political leaders we have certain natural rights. Thomas Jefferson famously referred to these rights as "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." When it comes to liberty we especially value freedom of speech and conscience since we are born with the capacity to develop reasoning skills and communicate.

Thus we consider it our right to have the freedom to say, think, and write what we believe as long as it does not pose an immediate threat to public safety. To deny or suppress the innate right to reason and communicate would violate our very nature as humans. Right?

But do we really have "natural rights" or are those rights just ideas we have determined in our minds as something we desire?

GREAT BEND, Kan. - It all started with Earl Butz, Nixon's Secretary of Agriculture, who had to resign due to a racial slur. In the early 70's grain and commodity prices were high, and the family farm was still intact. But the city people at the supermarket complained about high food prices, and that's when the New Deal farm programs started to come apart, and with it, the Great Plains.

It happened slowly. But looking back at Western Kansas over the last 30 years, it has been a steady and slow decay of "life as we knew it." I doubt we can reverse things, but we can know who did this to us and hold them accountable. And we can start to turn the ship around back toward pro-family farm policies.

Everybody on the Great Plains knows something horrible has happened over the last 30 years, but they really don't know what happened or why. They just see their downtown buildings boarded up, the abundance of thrift stores, and young people who turn to methamphetamines rather than working at McDonalds.

GREAT BEND, Kan. - Our local, state, and federal governments heavily regulate individual conduct by people. Let's say I took a gallon of gas and threw it on my neighbor's front lawn. I would find myself in the Barton County jail for "criminal damage to property."

When I drive to work each day, I can only travel 20 mph through school zones, and 30 miles per hour elsewhere in town. If I break the law, I get pulled over and get a traffic ticket. The criminal codes that regulate people prevent you from hurting others, or yourself.

For good reason, we make it illegal for people to speed, text while driving, steal, commit arson, and drive while drunk. We make it illegal for people to push another person down on the street, to pull a gun or knife on another person. We make it illegal to smoke marijuana, to smoke in public, and to use illegal drugs.

HAYS, Kan. - In regard to federal assistance for state Medicaid funding, a recent survey found that voters oppose cutting funding to nursing homes so strongly that 62% of voters favored additional federal funding for Medicaid.

The new national survey from The Mellman Group found that Americans, by significant margins, strongly support passage of federal Medicaid relief. Voters support the use of federal funding to prevent additional cuts at the state level.

The new survey findings further punctuate the impact of Medicaid cuts enacted in state capitols across the nation on elderly and disabled constituents - and the threat of more to come as state governors face ongoing budget crises.

Results also show that voters vehemently oppose any additional state Medicaid cuts initiated by their state legislatures.

MCDOWELL CREEK, Kan. - I have often wondered what the Plains Indians felt as hide hunters killed off their bison--the vast herds which were the center of their lives. These days, the poor folks along the Gulf can no doubt identify with those indigenous peoples--and the helpless rage and pain they must have felt. As plumes of oil, toxic to humans and wildlife, invade their beaches, fisheries, and wetlands, they can only stand by and watch helplessly, unable to protect what they love and live from. "I get tears in my eyes, because when you'd pull into that marsh previously, fish would jump and scurry," said one Louisiana resident (quoted in Newsweek), describing a ruined wetland. "[Afterwards,] ain't a bird, ain't a bug, nothing....Everything was dead."

Though the spill in the Gulf was an accident, and the killing of the bison was intentional, there are similarities between the two catastrophes. Both were the result of market forces too big for their actual settings. President Obama and Attorney General Holder have raised the possibility of criminal prosecutions: Given the number of safety violations that BP stands accused of, it may in fact turn out that the Gulf has been savaged by criminals.

GREAT BEND, Kan. - Arizona has recently come under fire for its immigration bill. I have heard loud arguments from both sides regarding the legal implications of this law. Those arguments aside, we need to look at the big picture. Is this bill by itself going to be effective, or is it just a political ploy to satisfy those upset with illegal immigration? A lot of wording, but nothing more than the government creating more laws and creating a civil rights debate? I am not going to touch that aspect in this article; whether or not the bill is infringing on the rights of American Citizens.

According to Numbers USA and the PEW research center, both of which are bi-partisan studies, 7.7 million American jobs are held by illegal immigrants. The majority of immigrants come into America seeking jobs. Big business lures illegal immigrants in with the promise of a better life; a life where a man and woman can take care of their families, and live a relatively safe existence. The majority of illegal immigrants come to America for employment.

Is it cost effective for American's to go after illegal immigrants one at a time?

BASEHOR, Kan. - I'm torn. I can see both sides of an issue that's very dear to me: General Aviation flying, particularly from small community airports. As a smartaleck once said, "If a man can see both sides of a problem, you know that none of his money is tied up in it." Well, that's me: I don't have any money tied up in it directly. But, as a taxpayer and a community supporter, I do have money tied up in it.

There's a major effort underway in General Aviation (GA) to save as many small- and medium-sized airports as possible from shutting down and, at the same time, to protect the users of those airports from increased fees and taxes. General Aviation, by the way, is a term that refers to just about anything other than scheduled passenger service by the airlines.