From Marion to Vietnam, governments don’t like secrets exposed

Columnist Ron Smith, circa 1970, working the board at AFVN-Saigon.

Kansas newspapers and media have been falling all over themselves to cover the efforts by the Marion police, assisted by a search warrant signed by a magistrate judge, to confiscate files and computers and other stuff of the Marion County Record. This was a small town newspaper and most small towns have their own unique […]

With Kansas election season winding down, consider the benefits of being a mugwump

President Warren G. Harding holds his first cabinet meeting in 1921. (Library of Congress)

It is hard to become, and then remain, a bona fide political mugwump. A mugwump is someone who wants to remain aloof from party politics. I find snake balls more fascinating than a political gathering of like-minded pachyderms and mules who believe in the sainted majesty of their leaders. As the cowboy poker players would warn, never […]

In electing lawmakers, Kansans might want to look past active-verb artists

The Kansas House of Representatives meet for a special session in 2020. Sessions these days stretch for much longer than the past, writes Ron Smith. (Nick Krug for Kansas Reflector)

True Story: The 2022 Kansas Legislature recessed in early April before coming back to a veto session. During the break, several legislators, the attorney general, and the governor decided to go on safari. While stretching their legs outside the jeep, a lion jumped out of the bushes and cornered the attorney general. The others scream […]

Remembering Kansas’ own Bob Dole: Will we see his like again?

Senator Bob Dole

Remembering Kansas’ own Bob Dole: Will we see his like again? by Ron Smith, Kansas Reflector December 6, 2021 The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Ron Smith is a fifth-generation Kansan, a […]

Removing sales tax on food creates a mess — why not add tax holidays instead?

Grocery Isle

Removing sales tax on food creates a mess — why not add tax holidays instead? by Ron Smith, Kansas Reflector November 27, 2021 The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Ron Smith is […]

CRT Is Not Ban-ible

Gavel, US Constitution, and US Flag

John Micek’s June 4, 2021 column in my local newspaper was, “Fight Over Critical Race Theory Hits the Statehouse.”  My classical liberalism background tells me this is a form of First Amendment blasphemy.  At least it should be. Because journalists are not getting enough constitutional law in their J-schools, those like Micek often step into […]

Illegal Hunting of Mallard

Mallard Hunting

Illegal Cancel Culture Hunting!! They have shot Mallard Fillmore. The cowards. The wonderfully conservative and a funny comic strip by Bruce Tinsley has been shot by the Gannett Newspapers. Cancel cultured. We’re not sure whether Tinsley received a last cigarette before he was blindfolded and stood against the wall. The barbarians. The Gannett’s brass, idiots […]

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