http://www.kentucky.com/589/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com Op-Ed 60 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:07:46 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/453558.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/453558.html Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:28 EDT
Every time Tie Rod hears the words .clean coal,. he thinks of Mrs. Oaks in the coal camp.

When she was about to have company, she washed her chickens, holding them by the head to do so. When she got the coal dust off of them and let them go, each relieved not to be going to the dumpling pot just then, they had little black areas on the tops of their heads which looked like a buzz cut or a mohawk.

The tale is that when Mr. Oaks had brain surgery years later and came to, they were trying to test his brain function and asked him his name, which he told them. Then they asked him who the president was, and he said that he didn't know who it was then but that it used to be John L. Lewis and Roosevelt. They knew he was OK.

Tie Rod doesn't mind hearing the words .clean coal. for a few weeks every four years but thinks that you would have to wash coal with a rag like the Oaks' leghorns. And besides, Tie Rod kind of likes the look of a little coal dust, as it reminds him of the good old days of Joy Loaders and Tony Boyle, back when a good union leader would put out a hit on any dissidents and the coal was high enough that at least a few minutes a day you could stand up in the mines. He thinks Barack Obama's complexion looks more like that of a superintendent than a union man riding a lizard. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/453560.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/453560.html Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:28 EDT
Kentucky is a place of hidden gems. A few weeks ago, I was returning to my car after listening to men in ties and cowboy hats playing bluegrass on the Moonlight Stage in downtown Morehead.

The moon wasn't out that night, but I knew by the distinctive clippity-clop of horseshoes on blacktop what was coming up the street before I saw it.

There, in the center of town, two horses were trotting down Main Street as if there were a hitching post and water trough just down the road a couple of blocks. However, unlike in a Clint Eastwood movie, these horses stopped and waited for the traffic light to turn green before disappearing into the evening.

Two saddled horses strolling down Main Street at 10 p.m. wasn't nearly the strangest thing I'd seen that day at the Clack Mountain Festival in Morehead. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/453661.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/453661.html Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:07 EDT
There are seven words you can never say on TV, as the late, great comic George Carlin taught us, but erectile dysfunction isn't among them.

In fact, there are words that you may think can't be said on TV, but they can. These mischievous little utterances thumb their syllables at us — especially when children are in the room.

Words like male enhancement. Why do supposedly child-friendly cable channels and family newspapers run these ads? Try explaining the reason for Smiling Bob's grin to three young boys without 10 minutes of silly giggles and stupid remarks. And that's just from me.

Advertisers, especially pharmaceutical companies, blame baby boomers for the embarrassing ads. They say, “We're just spreading the news that wonderful medicines exist to alleviate the problems boomers are encountering now that they're falling apart.” ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/453563.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/453563.html Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:28 EDT
A cynical colleague used to say that .a city gets the architecture it deserves..

I have had the good fortune of visiting and studying many of the world's great cities. Without exception, I have observed that in every outstanding city, there are to be found many great buildings. And conversely, wherever one finds a critical mass of beautiful buildings, you will find a great city.

Cause and effect? I can't really say, but I can say that historically speaking, whenever a vibrant city or a civilization rises from provincial obscurity to historic greatness, there is a parallel rise of great buildings that at the same time return energy and support to the aspirations and development of the emerging culture.

In fact, such moments frequently inspire the emergence of confident new architectures that are uniquely suited to support the new energies of time and place (think Paris, Florence, Rome, London and Chicago). ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/452102.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/452102.html Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:18 EDT
As we celebrate the nation's founding, it is also a time to think about the U.S. Constitution. Here are 10 things about it that you may not know:

. The entire Constitution applies only to government. That means students at a private university have no First Amendment right to peacefully demonstrate on campus, while students at a public college have such protection. If you work in the private sector, you cannot wear a button supporting a candidate while on the job if your employer objects.

. From 1791, when the Bill of Rights was ratified, until the 20th century, those amendments restrained only the federal government. Any state could abridge those fundamental rights. In 1937, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the murder conviction and death sentence of a man Connecticut tried twice for the same crime, in violation of the Fifth Amendment's double-jeopardy clause. The court said the amendment didn't apply; he was executed.

. When Congress proposed the Bill of Rights, what we know today as the First Amendment was listed third. It moved up to its exalted position only because the first two amendments were not ratified at the time. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/452100.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/452100.html Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:18 EDT
I am proud to be deploying again to Iraq. I believe in this mission, and I have served in it already. I've been out of active duty from the Army for 20 months, but recently received mobilization orders for at least another 400 days there. I am honored and blessed to have another chance to be a part of this vital mission.

We have made tremendous progress in Iraq because of President Bush's courageous commitment to stand firm. He has been abandoned by many politicians, but he has not wavered. Someday people will consider him a great president because of this. He ordered the surge just when it looked like the Democrats were going to bring us defeat last year, and the results have been extraordinary.

The surge has saved American lives, with our casualties down in May to the lowest monthly number of the whole mission. Just over a year ago, there were more than 60 suicide bombings a month in Baghdad. Now there are fewer than 10. All other measures of violence have dropped just as dramatically. Anbar province had been written off as lost to al-Qaida in Iraq a couple years ago. Now Anbar goes for weeks at a time without incident.

Our offensives against the terrorists have been extremely effective. Between October and December, 258 senior al-Qaida in Iraq leaders were killed or captured, and now we average 32 a month. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/452099.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/452099.html Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:18 EDT
When in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness . That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the present King of Great Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary of the public Good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing Importance, unless suspended in their Operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/449841.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/449841.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:13 EDT
Turn on local talk radio and you are likely to hear the modern equivalent of the flat-earthers and Luddites of yore. Fake experts, far-right bloviators and ill-informed talk show hosts are out to persuade you to ignore the massive weight of scientific evidence that climate change is real, serious and now upon us.

These climate deniers will be merely a footnote in history. The world agrees that climate change caused by human activities will cause irreparable economic, social and environmental harm if we do not act rationally and quickly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

To address the challenge of climate change, we must create a low-carbon, sustainable economy, one that does not deprive future generations of a decent life. The transition to a new, sustainable economy presents businesses with great opportunities.

The sustainability transition is already occurring. Venture capital is flowing to renewable energy development and manufacturers of green products. Corporations are appointing high-level sustainability coordinators to oversee operations. Wal-Mart convened a sustainability summit to persuade its suppliers to reduce energy and materials consumption. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/447617.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/447617.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:29 EDT
Every day in Kentucky juvenile courts, young people are placed in custody for disobeying their parents, cutting school or even bringing home bad grades.

Youths of color are routinely incarcerated at far higher rates for committing the same offenses as white children.

And each day, children who were previously taken into custody for minor infractions return after committing far more serious crimes.

This is the reality of the juvenile justice system in Kentucky today . a system in dire need of reform for young people of color and minor offenders. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/447615.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/447615.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:29 EDT
Jim Jordan's June 9 .Buzz. column praised a product called Sure Stay, which allows dogs to be tethered or chained to a stake in the ground. He wrote that .to those of us who cut grass, Sure Stay sure is nice..

But for those of us who cut grass and care about our dogs and neighbors, this product should not be on our wish list.

The American Veterinary Medical Association advises, .Never tether or chain your dog because this can contribute to aggressive behavior..

Tethering or chaining for very short, supervised periods may be acceptable. For instance, we tether our dogs when we are camping and all sitting at the campsite together. It would probably be acceptable for short periods while you are in the yard with your dog, say, while you are gardening. However, dogs should never be left unsupervised on a chain or tether. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/447613.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/447613.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:29 EDT
Leave it the Herald-Leader editorial board to call for bigger government and more regulation of a sport that is already regulated at a state level.

I successfully advocated for the elimination of race-day medication . known as NSAIDS, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs . at Kentucky racetracks and as a member of the Equine Drug Research Council, I will continue to call for a ban on anabolic steroids.

The reality of the situation is that the 38 racing states with their respective regulatory bodies are all moving in the same direction of adopting a national model rule regarding anabolic steroid use in racehorses.

State regulators are moving forward. As for a Congress that has overseen higher gasoline prices and no movement on clean-coal technology support, forgive me for being skeptical about its drive to fix horse racing. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/447611.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/447611.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:29 EDT
I've had it, too.

I've had it with the rank partisanship and woe-is-me selfishness expressed in Michelle Ferguson's column. It touched on nearly every current event related to public affairs and policy in just enough detail to lay blame on Democrats.

There was barely a mention of anything positive or hopeful, just a long, long list of problems perpetrated by Democrats on Republicans whom she thinks bare no blame for anything.

The America I know does not share this depressing, finger-pointing view of life. It's stale and sad. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/447608.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/447608.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:29 EDT
The article by Valarie Honeycutt Spears and the follow-up editorial about the Kentucky High School Athletic Association's eligibility rulings show considerable na.vete regarding the very complex issue of controlling recruitment among KHSAA member schools.

First, Commissioner Brigid DeVries rules on these cases based on the by-laws adopted by the member schools and endorsed by the board of control, also made up of school representatives, and by the state Board of Education.

Unfortunately all by-laws must also be blessed by a legislative review committee, composed of a few members of the legislature who know little of what goes on across the state as it pertains to athletics in general and recruitment of athletes specifically.

Second, most of DeVries decisions are based on By-law 6 and By-law 10, which she is compelled to enforce. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/446877.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/446877.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:44 EDT
Congress is on the verge of making a bad deal to expand the executive's power to conduct electronic spying and slam the door shut on efforts to find out how and why the government misled lawmakers and the public about the extent of its ambitious program to spy without court order.

Passed by a vote of 293-129 in the House, the overhaul of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is billed as a .compromise.. It is nothing of the sort. Lawmakers are caving in on the most significant aspect of the law and practically committing the next president to accept it.

Recall that the administration kept the extent of its warrantless spying program secret for years. Thanks to reports in the news media in late 2005, Americans learned that most of the nation's telecommunications companies had provided the government with private data beginning shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, without so much as a by-your-leave to the Congress, the courts or the people.

The secrecy-obsessed administration claimed that a 2001 law authorizing force against anyone involved in the 9/11 attacks gave the president that power. That was bad enough. But when the law came up for renewal the administration went further . insisting on a provision that would immunize the telecommunication companies from lawsuits. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/447100.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/447100.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:51 EDT But one thing churches should never do is act as political brokers. Put simply, handing down a list of candidate endorsements is not the role of our faith communities. Clergy have no business acting like party bosses.
Federal law bars tax-exempt organizations, religious or non-religious, from intervening in politics by endorsing or opposing candidates.
Recently, the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal organization formed by far-right TV and radio preachers, announced that it is urging pastors to violate this law by endorsing candidates from the pulpit on Sept. 28.
As a member of the clergy, I am appalled that any organization would encourage religious groups to blatantly break the law for its own ends. But beyond that, the campaign shows a dangerous ignorance of tax law and why it says what it does.
Tax exemption is a benefit, not a right. Religious groups and charities collect billions in donations every year, all of it tax free. The ability to avoid paying taxes on that money, not surprisingly, comes with conditions. The “no-electioneering” rule is only one of many.
The alliance and groups like it claim the IRS regulation violates freedoms of speech and religion. It doesn't. Clergy who want to wade into electoral politics are free to surrender their congregations' tax exemption. They can also, as individuals, speak at non-church events and express candidate preferences there.
This part of federal tax law has already been tested in court. In 2000, a federal appeals court unanimously upheld the “no-electioneering” rule, finding that a New York church did not have a constitutional right to buy newspaper ads opposing a presidential candidate. The three judges who made the ruling were far from judicial activists; all of them were Reagan appointees.
TV preacher Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network and the late Jerry Falwell's Old Time Gospel Hour had their tax exemptions revoked and were assessed large cash penalties for partisan politicking. If the IRS rules were legally shaky, you can bet these mega-bucks ministries would have challenged them.
Religious-right activists say this provision of federal tax law prevents religious leaders from talking about social or moral issues from the pulpit. In fact, only support or opposition for candidates is restricted. As long as clergy do not do that, they may discuss issues freely. In fact, many do so, speaking out on both sides of matters like same-sex marriage, abortion, poverty and the environment.
Most religious leaders have no problem abiding by these reasonable rules. But a small minority, goaded by the religious right, insists on dragging partisan politics into the pulpit. The appropriate vehicle for that type of activity is a political action committee, not a house of worship.
Americans recognize this distinction. A recent poll by the Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics found nearly 60 percent of respondents opposing pulpit-based partisan politicking. Even most evangelicals said they oppose it. Americans understand that people go to church to connect with God, not to take part in a political convention.
Houses of worship exist to save souls, not save a politician's campaign. The American people have not asked for and do not want their clergy to issue orders on how to behave in the voting booth. For legal, ethical and moral reasons, pulpit-based politicking is a bad idea. Religious leaders should reject church electioneering schemes.
The Rev. Barry W. Lynn is executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/446884.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/446884.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:47 EDT
The IRS is stifling the free speech rights of religious leaders in a world where most Americans understand that the intersection of faith and politics is a well-recognized part of this nation's culture and heritage.

The problem: a 54-year-old federal tax law that prevents religious leaders from truly exercising their constitutionally protected free speech rights when they act in their official capacity as a pastor or head of a religious, tax-exempt organization.

The IRS regulation is clear: Tax-exempt organizations .may not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.. A violation can result in the revocation of the organization's tax-exempt status.

In 1954, then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson introduced an amendment that became law that barred tax-exempt groups . including churches . from participating in political activity. Johnson sought political retribution against an opponent who was assisted in his campaign by two non-profit organizations. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/446293.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/446293.html Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:31 EDT
Much has been written about the understaffing of nurses at many health care facilities. Now, additional evidence has come from patients and nurses themselves.

In June, the American Nurses Association released the results of its .Safe Staffing. poll of more 10,000 nurses. The findings were not good.

Highlights include:

. 73.1 percent don't believe the staffing on their units or shifts is sufficient. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/445220.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/445220.html Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:18 EDT
Each June, the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in cities around the country and the world come together to put on pride festivals, events and parades in an effort to show the world that, yes, we are here.

I have attended festivals and parades in St. Louis, Chicago, New York and Montreal. These festivities range from simple parades to all-out weeklong parties.

Now the festivities are coming to Lexington. The the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community is hosting a series of events, including the Fairness Awards show and the Imperial Court's Coronation, as well as Lexington's first Pride Festival downtown. On Saturday, Cheapside Park will serve as home to .Lexington Pride 2008: We Are Family..

Because of these events, people have asked: Are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Lexington suddenly proud? Is Lexington ready for such an event? Why now when it's never been done in Lexington before? ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/444254.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/444254.html Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:45 EDT
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez often uses very harsh language when referring to President Bush. And the mainstream media in the United States always rushes to describe Chavez as .anti-American..

They neglect to report that Chavez always goes out of his way to show support for America's poor, who suffer from an oppressive ruling elite. He has gone far past the rhetoric, putting his checkbook where his mouth is.

Venezuela-owned Citgo has donated millions of gallons of heating oil to more than 200 indigenous communities, 250 homeless shelters and an estimated 2 million low-income Americans in 23 states . a $100 million-plus contribution.

This is not only solid support for America but also much better than U.S. oil companies, which have refused to engage in similar efforts despite repeated requests from various state representatives. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/443005.html http://www.kentucky.com/589/story/443005.html Wed, 25 Jun 2008 02:09 EDT
On June 6, the price of a barrel of oil increased more in one day than an entire barrel cost a decade ago.

Today in Central Kentucky, some families are choosing between buying groceries and getting to work in the morning. As gas prices soar to more than $4 a gallon, Kentuckians need relief.

Gas prices are high for a number of reasons. Decades of failed policies and the increase in demand from new world powers such as India and China are catching up to Americans. The weakening dollar has helped make the price of a barrel of oil skyrocket, while price speculation by major investors further artificially drives up the price. With new international markets, price speculation and the weakening dollar, supply and demand are not as simple as they used to be.

Even so, why aren't the oil and gas companies producing on the millions of acres they already control? As you and I pay $4 a gallon, oil and gas companies are making record profits, receiving federal tax breaks and giving their executives salaries of tens of millions of dollars. ]]>