Sebelius Celebrates Thanksgiving
with
Kansas’ Men and Women in Uniform
Governor Visits Soldiers in Kuwait during Middle East Trip
The desert of Kuwait may be 7,200 miles from the plains of Kansas,
but the distance didn't prevent Governor Kathleen Sebelius from
celebrating the Thanksgiving weekend with the brave Kansas men
and women serving our country in Iraq and Kuwait.
In a high security operation, Governor Sebelius flew into Iraq
on the day after Thanksgiving and visited with Kansas National
Guard soldiers stationed at two bases there. On the previous day,
the governor helped serve a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to
Kansas soldiers in Kuwait.
"Nearly two thousand Kansans are serving us bravely and
proudly in the Middle East this Thanksgiving. Since they can't
be home for the holiday, the least we can do is come to them;
and let them know they are always in our thoughts and prayers,"
said Governor Sebelius after visiting Iraq.
In Iraq, the Governor met with soldiers serving with the 891st
Engineer Battalion from Iola who are stationed at Tallil Airbase
southeast of Baghdad. The 891st has been doing construction work
and helping to disarm the deadly homemade bombs along the roadsides.
The 891st is due to come home in mid December.
"The troops clearly are anxious to come home," Governor
Sebelius said, "but they also have seen a fairly marked improvement
in Iraq in terms of security and less problems."
Governor Sebelius later in the day visited soldiers with the
137th Infantry Division from Kansas City, Kansas, who recently
arrived in Baghdad.
"The new group is pretty excited to be there. I found them
to be in good spirits and charged up about playing a pretty important
role," said Governor Sebelius.
Although she made the trip to thank soldiers, Governor Sebelius
was the first to say "I think I got a lot more good out of
the trip than they did. There's certainly a sense of missing loved
ones, but I think there's also a sense of, 'We're doing a good
thing, we're going to make a difference.'"
The Governor told the troops that no matter what is going on
in the debate at home, Kansans are 100 percent behind them, and
by all reports, the message was well received.
In Kuwait, Governor Sebelius sat down for two traditional Thanksgiving
dinners with Kansas military personnel from several units after
first helping to serve the troops.
Governor Sebelius was joined on the trip by Governor Haley Barbour
of Mississippi, Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, and Governor
Sonny Perdue of Georgia. The governors traveled to the Mideast
at the invitation of the Departments of State and Defense. Prior
to leaving for Iraq the four governors met with Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peter Pace.
House
Democrats present plan to support Kansas businesses
TOPEKA – House Democrats today unveiled a package of legislation
aimed at further improving the business climate in Kansas.
“Recent economic indicators for our state are encouraging,”
said Rep. Doug Gatewood, of Columbus. “We must continue
to work to make Kansas an even better place to do business and
to accelerate the growth of our state economy.”
The package is the result of ongoing discussions between House
Democrats and representatives of local chambers of commerce regarding
challenges facing businesses in their communities.
“Many of the members of the House Democratic Caucus possess
a business background and 24 of the 42 are small business owners,”
said House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney, of Greensburg.
“Our members understand the importance of promoting a healthy
business environment and working together with business leaders
in their communities have come up with a number of common sense
proposals to support Kansas businesses.”
As House Democrats visited with business owners in their districts,
it was clear that one of the primary concerns of the business
community is the rising cost of health care. The escalation of
health care costs is forcing many of our businesses to offer lesser
or no health insurance benefits for employees.
The House Democrats’ proposal includes additional funds
to help small businesses with health care costs. It also includes
a pilot program to allow Kansas businesses to participate in the
state health care program.
“As legislators, we must take action on behalf of our businesses
and our citizens to help make quality health care more affordable,”
said Rep. Gatewood. “Our proposal will help to ensure that
more workers have adequate coverage while helping to alleviate
the burden on our businesses.”
The proposal also includes measures to reduce worker’s
compensation costs for Kansas businesses.
The proposal calls for funding for a new position in the Attorney
General’s office to investigate fraudulent worker’s
compensation claims. It also would allow businesses to receive
a discount on worker’s compensation insurance premiums if
they voluntarily participate in a workplace safety review.
“It is important that we provide protections for honest
workers who are injured on the job,” said Rep. McKinney.
“When that system is abused whether it be by employees,
employers, or health providers, it adds unnecessary costs for
those who act in good faith.”
The proposals will be introduced for consideration during the
2006 legislative session.
“This is just a starting point. We will continue to work
with local business leaders to find more ways to enhance the Kansas
business climate,” added McKinney. “Now the question
is can legislators avoid the old partisan conflicts and cooperate
to solve problems and create good jobs for Kansans?”
Veterans
take on new battle: run for office
'Fighting Dems' see options in the war against terrorism
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | November 27, 2005
PHILADELPHIA -- Bryan Lentz, toting an Army-issue duffel bag,
slips into the booth.
Over the din of a bustling downtown coffee shop, the 41-year-old
infantry officer and lawyer leans across the table, and outlines
his latest mission.
''You either have to buy into the rhetoric or stand up. I am
standing up."
Lentz, who as a major in the 82d Airborne helped to rebuild
the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, is running for Congress. He
is one of at least nine veterans vying to become the first soldiers
of the post-9/11 military to be elected to the House of Representatives,
according to party leaders.
They say their experience makes them well-suited to help successfully
extricate the United States from Iraq and to more effectively
fight the war on terrorism, which they fear is being lost in the
Muslim world's court of public opinion.
Eight of the nine are running as Democrats. At least three are
lawyers. Most went to the front lines from the Reserves or the
National Guard. Some have been recruited for office by party leaders;
others say they are trying to get the national parties to pay
attention to them.
But they are all running on their wartime experience and against
the prevailing political hierarchy in Washington -- both Republican
and Democrat.
They are expected to inject a pivotal voice into the debate
next year, a midterm election season that is likely to focus heavily
on security issues such as US involvement in Iraq and homeland
defense.
''We will have a very strong voice and instant credibility,"
said Tim Dunn, a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and a Democrat
who served in Iraq and is now running in North Carolina's Eighth
District, a seat held by four-term Republican Robin Hayes. ''We
bring to the table the experience and the knowledge gained through
our service, whether active duty or Reserve, so that when these
decisions are made in the future we have people who can stand
up and ask the right questions. People will listen to us."
The veterans are running in Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina,
Texas, Maryland, and Minnesota. More are likely to announce as
the primary season heats up, party officials predict.
Several are seeking to defeat first-term incumbents in highly
competitive districts. Others face an uphill battle, including
Lentz, who is seeking to unseat 10-term Republican Curt Weldon
in the Philadelphia suburbs of Bucks County.
Using their wartime service to burnish their credentials, most
are banking on voters' disillusionment with the war in Iraq to
catapult themselves into the House, where Republicans now hold
a narrow majority.
Their views on Iraq are not universal. Some believe a withdrawal
is necessary. Others say more troops are needed. Lentz, for one,
says the key to success in Iraq is a nationwide rebuilding effort
that includes cracking down on US war profiteers.
But they all agree that US policy needs an overhaul.
''Being a military veteran is not a prerequisite for serving
in Congress, but I can ask the penetrating questions," said
David Ashe, 36, a major in the Marine Corps Reserve who was the
deputy legal counsel to a three-star general in Iraq, and who
is running in a three-way Democratic primary in Virginia's heavily
military Second District. The seat is now held by a first-term
Republican, Thelma Drake, who defeated Ashe by 10 percentage points
in 2004.
US military conflicts have historically molded new breeds of
veterans who return to join the political fray. Many of them have
had an enduring impact.
In 1946, when the World War II generation entered politics,
two neophytes, John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon, came to define
their parties for a generation. Since, leading presidential contenders
such as George McGovern, Robert Dole, and George H.W. Bush all
held up their service in World War II as a key selling point.
More than three decades after he was the first Vietnam veteran
elected to Congress, Representative John Murtha of Pennsylvania
was still shaping the debate this month when the senior Democrat
stirred up Washington with a call for a withdrawal from Iraq.
But the number of lawmakers with military experience has dropped
dramatically since Murtha was first elected in 1974, when nearly
80 percent of members of Congress had served in uniform.
Now, less than 30 percent in Congress have military experience,
according to congressional statistics.
Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are hoping to make their
own mark in 2006, an election season the liberal web log DailyKos.com
has already labeled the ''year of the veteran."
''The fact that so many are running as Democrats is a reflection
of the public disillusion with the powers that be," said
Michael Duga, a Democratic strategist. ''Who best to speak for
the military on an exit strategy than guys who have been there?"
They all speak from experience. Patrick Murphy, a 32-year-old
former Army captain and West Point professor, helped train the
Iraqi Civil Defense Corps.
A self-described progressive, he is running in Pennsylvania's
Eighth District, in the Philadelphia suburbs, a seat now held
by freshman Republican Michael Fitzpatrick.
''Those in power are arrogant and don't want to listen to the
experts," said Murphy. ''We can speak truth to power."
Andrew Duck, 43, is running in rural Maryland's Sixth District,
a seat held by seven-term Republican Roscoe Bartlett. Describing
himself as a Democrat who is opposed to abortion, the former Army
intelligence officer still works in the Pentagon as a contractor.
''I am very proud I helped get rid of Saddam Hussein, but I
am also embarrassed at how badly we have messed it up since then,"
he said in a recent interview in a pizza shop near the Pentagon.
''People say there wasn't a plan. I know there was a plan,"
Duck said. ''Our problem was we were told [by Pentagon leaders]
we can't use it."
Duck, who served as an intelligence liaison officer between
ground forces in Iraq, believes the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainee
prison camp is illegal and should be closed. But he said what
''broke the camel's back" was seeing firsthand the failure
to provide adequate armor to protect US troops from insurgent
attacks.
Indeed, others cite what they consider to be incompetent leadership
as pushing them into politics.
''We were paying Iraqis 20,000 dinars a month and the looters
were paying them 20,000 dinars a night," Ashe said in a telephone
interview from his headquarters.
''I had a street-level view of the failures of postwar planning.
We failed in setting up a bureaucracy, let alone a democracy."
Their concerns extend beyond Iraq. Chris Carney, a lieutenant
commander in the Naval Reserve running in Pennsylvania's 10th
District, said he has seen leaders mismanage the war on terror.
Carney, who was a senior Pentagon counter terrorism adviser,
said: ''I have come to realize our country is no safer than it
was before 9/11. We need to be spending far more resources in
homeland security than we have been."
Tim Walz, a 41-year-old school teacher and 24-year veteran of
the National Guard who was called up to active duty after the
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said he has decided to run in Minnesota's
First District, a seat held by six-term Republican Gil Gutknecht,
because of what he sees as ''the politicization of the military
and politicians using them as a backdrop."
The Democratic candidates, labeled the ''Fighting Dems"
by liberal Internet bloggers, say they are hoping to pool their
resources and to rely on their collective power and influence
to raise money and gain nationwide media attention.
''They are becoming an entity in and of themselves, almost a
caucus," said Duga, the Democratic strategist.
Carl Forti, a spokesman for the National Republican Campaign
Committee, said he believes most recent veterans are running as
Democrats because the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
''is seeking to find as many vets as possible to run."
He said the Republicans, on the other hand, are looking for
the best candidates, whether military veterans or not.
At least one new veteran will be appearing on the ballot as
a Republican. In Texas's 17th Congressional District, now filled
by an eight-term Democrat, Chet Edwards, 33-year-old Van Taylor,
a Marine Corps major who led reconnaissance missions during the
invasion of Iraq, is running in the GOP primary.
''It can only help to send people to Washington who have firsthand
experience in the war on terror," Taylor said of his campaign
effort.
''After 10 years in the Marine Corps I've learned a lot about
the military and the war on terror," said the Harvard graduate,
experience he said will be useful for ''many years to come."
Regardless of political party, most say they are running against
the current political order, which they believe has failed to
collaborate on a unified strategy.
''Both parties have pursued policies of division, and there
is this gaping whole in the middle where I think most Americans
reside," said Carney, who until recently served as an adviser
to the deputy defense secretary's office, and who now is vying
to unseat four-term Republican Don Sherwood.
''Those people need to be represented," he said. ''I don't
know how we go from a country as united as it was on Sept. 12,
2001, to one as divided as we are today. That is what is propelling
me in this race."
Bender can be reached at bender@globe.com.
Past News
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2005
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2005
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2005
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2005
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2005
