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A couple years ago in March, Joyce and I took our then-5-year-old grandson Jacob to the woods to look for shed antlers.

Much to my chagrin, he insisted on dragging along his constant companion, a Kindle, (a scaled-down version of a laptop) on which he played video games. Things went well at our first stop, as he was rearing to go and left the Kindle in the truck without discussion. The second stop was a different story. From the moment I parked, he insisted on staying in the truck with grandma and playing his video game.

I can be “fairly persuasive” but I was getting nowhere in luring him away from the video game and into the woods. I was about to yank the Kindle from his grasp and pitch it into the hayfield when grandma intervened, and her plea of “Don’t you want to find grandma an antler?” did the trick. I rather disliked video games anyway, just because I dislike playing games, but that incident rekindled my disdain of them. Now don’t get me wrong, Joyce and I like technology. I have a PC on which I write these columns, she has a laptop, and a Kindle, plus we both have smart phones.

And I’m not totally anti-video game either; it just rubs me wrong when a child chooses that over getting out into nature and observing the REAL world.

Unless you live under a rock somewhere, I’m sure you’re heard or read about the new video game craze sweeping humanity right now called “Pokémon GO.” The original Nintendo Pokémon games first appeared in the late 1990’s and also took the world by storm back then. Pokémon are monsters that can look like rats, snakes, dragons, dinosaurs, birds, eggs or even trees. In the game, people known as “trainers” travel the globe to capture and train these creatures and use them to fight each other. The new Pokémon GO uses a smart phones GPS and clock to detect where and when you are playing the game, then makes Pokémon appear around you (on your phones screen) so you can capture them.

As you move around, more and different Pokémon will appear, depending on where you are and what time it is. The game is being touted for getting players up and off the couch and getting them outdoors. It’s said that Pokémon GO fulfils a fantasy Pokémon fans have had since the original games inception; what if Pokémon were real and inhabited the world around us? The Kansas State Fairgrounds has reportedly become a Mecca for Pokémon GO players, and according to an official News Release by the Kansas Dept. of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, Pokémon “have been spotted at many Kansas state parks and nature centers.”

Ok fine, so this new game gets players up and off the couch and gets them outside. The problem I’m having with this whole thing is that ever since Noah docked the Ark on Mt Ararat, REAL four-legged critters have roamed the fields and woods, REAL fish have swum in the lakes and rivers and REAL birds have filled the skies, thus fulfilling the fantasy of being “real and inhabiting the world around us.” and even though you need the proper licenses to catch them, they have been available to pursue and observe since Noah’s arrival.

And now it takes a video “game” to get everyone excited about getting outdoors? And why do Pokémon have to be monsters, and why does everything have to involve fighting? Can nothing excite us anymore unless it’s evil and monstrous in some way? And does anyone else see the irony here; that the very reason many kids hole-up inside (video games) now suddenly has them running outside in droves? This technology used by the new Pokémon where a game and the real world interact is known as “augmented reality.” The word augment means “to make or become greater,” so I guess the makers of the game want us all to believe they have made reality better? (Just when I think I have heard it all!)

I realize I’m showing my age here with this rant, but I fear society today, and especially our youth need a “reality” check, and need to be introduced or reintroduced to the real world around them. Yes, get outside and enjoy the new Pokémon GO with my blessing, but then come with me to the lake or to the woods and let me introduce you to some real world Pokémon that are not monsters, that inhabit the world around us and are available to find anytime WITHOUT your smart phone. Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].

Franklin D. Roosevelt once shared, “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves, and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”

In public high schools throughout Kansas, students study the history of democracy in the United States. Furthermore, our state’s Standards for History, Government, and Social Studies call for students to “participate in society as informed, thoughtful, engaged citizens, and voters” (p. 102). One of the best ways a young person can learn is by watching the actions of their families and role models.  Kansas School Superintendents encourage you to engage in democratic process this summer and fall by voting!

According to information provided on the Kansas Office of the Secretary of State website, only 20% of Kansas registered voters cast a ballot in the 2014 August Primary Election. The primary elections are almost as important as the general election, as it determines who will be on ballot in November. In the 2014 General Election, 51% of registered voters cast a ballot. Although greater than the percent of voters that turned out for the Primary Election, 15% less voters engaged in the process compared to the 2012 General Election.

As a native Kansan and father of two children, I care deeply about our state’s future. I wish to see a prosperous state that is safe, maintains a dependable infrastructure, reaches out and supports those most in need, values all citizens, and provides a world-class education and training program for all. This is all possible; however, it greatly depends upon who Kansans elect in the August 2nd Primary and in the November 8th General Election. Our state and our future depend upon the leadership of today.  Please help choose those leaders.

Thank you,

Cory L. Gibson
President of Kansas School Superintendent’s Association

A wise man once said, If you don’t vote, someone else is voting for you on issues that are important in your life. This is particularly true as we head into the final stretch of the election season.

There is plenty at stake for each one of us in the Kansas primary election Aug. 2. Elected officials responsible for helping determine our future, that of our children and our agricultural industry will be chosen that day.

No doubt about it, we’re living in historic times. The challenges and opportunities are plain for all to see.

We live in a country divided. Polarized at both extremes – on the left and right. Little work is being done on behalf of the electorate.

Instead, politicians of one party blame the other, obstruct the job of the legislative branch and gridlock prevails.

That said, farmers and ranchers across the Sunflower State must exercise the opportunity to further key ag policy priorities on their behalf during the upcoming primary.

Cast a vote for someone who will speak on your behalf in Topeka and Washington, D.C. Someone who will keep farm and ranch values in mind and reach across the aisle to forge consensus on issues of importance to agriculture.

Across the state ag producers believe there are renewed opportunities to pursue issues including: comprehensive immigration reform; improved market access opportunities for U.S. agricultural products; and less government oversight in their everyday lives.

Encourage friends, neighbors and family to vote so this 2016 primary election will be remembered as an example of American democracy at its finest. Turn out voters in record numbers to elect candidates who will do their part in the political process.

Cast your ballot for the candidates in our Kansas election vital to farming and ranching. Before you vote, evaluate each candidate individually to determine strengths and willingness to work on behalf of agriculture and rural Kansas.

Some farm organizations, including Kansas Farm Bureau recently finished its final and vital push to implement grassroots public policy positions that its members developed throughout the year. Our organization has also endorsed 133 candidates for individual seats in the U.S. Congress, Kansas Senate and the Kansas House. All are friends of our organization and understand the importance of agriculture in our state.

So many of the issues have been cussed and discussed. The machinery is in place. All that remains is the action of voting for the candidates who have an ear that will listen to those in agriculture and rural Kansas.

Exercise your privilege and vote this Aug. 2. Remember, if you don’t, someone else will vote on issues that impact your life and livelihood.

John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.

Who can say what, on the Web?

Twitter has raised questions anew with reports of a lifetime ban on tweets from conservative blogger Milo Yiannopoulos — reportedly after complaints that he engineered a wave of racist and sexist comments directed against comedian and actress Leslie Jones, who is co-starring in the latest “Ghostbusters” movie.

Yiannopoulos is an editor on the conservative blog site Breitbart.com whose posts frequently create controversy on the web. He responded to the reported Twitter action by saying, “Anyone who cares about free speech has been sent a clear message: You’re not welcome on Twitter.” He also called the ban “cowardly.”

Twitter would not confirm the action against Yiannopoulos but issued a statement saying, “People should be able to express diverse opinions and beliefs on Twitter. … But no one deserves to be subjected to targeted abuse online, and our rules prohibit inciting or engaging in the targeted abuse or harassment of others.”

Jones wrote earlier in the week about a decision to end her own Twitter account, which was targeted with racist tweets — some using pictures of apes (one from a person identified only as “KKK Cool J”), and others with racial epithets.

“I used to wonder why some celebs don’t have Twitter accts.,” she wrote. “Now I know. You can’t be nice and communicate with fans ’cause people crazy. As much as I love live-tweeting, posting the pics of awesome things that happen in this life I’ve been blessed with, I don’t know anymore.”

For those who claimed the Twitter action — which by its terms would be a “permanent suspension” — was illegal or “the end of free speech on the web,” the response is, it’s neither. As a private company, there’s no First Amendment ban on private companies determining what they will or won’t permit in the spaces — broadcast, print or web — that they own.

As to the future of free speech on the web, there’s plenty left — but we are just starting to work out the kind of legal and social rules about content, tone and manner that have evolved over decades for other kinds of communications.

Social media and other websites now regularly monitor postings to look for images, videos and text from groups like ISIS that once went up unfiltered. Where early web advocates once touted the ability of the internet to provide millions around the world the opportunity to converse, so-called “chat rooms” and comment areas are closed or closing because conversations and posts quickly veer into profane, defamatory or scatological exchanges bereft of any real benefits expected from freedom of speech.

Twitter acknowledged that its current policies on objectionable content and abusive behavior — particularly by those it called “repeat offenders” — are being tested, and not just by Yiannopoulos: “We know many people believe we have not done enough to curb this type of behavior on Twitter. We agree. We have been in the process of reviewing our hateful conduct policy to prohibit additional types of abusive behavior and allow more types of reporting, with the goal of reducing the burden on the person being targeted.”

Newseum CEO Jeffrey Herbst has written and spoken about the challenges of digital “etiquette.” In a speech at The Media Institute earlier this year, Herbst said that more speech is generally a better response to speech you don’t like, and that “hate speech” is often protected by the First Amendment.

But he told the group there is room for civility online without curtailing freedom of expression: “With rights come responsibilities. We have not really thought through our responsibilities when it comes to the web.” He also called for a move away from anonymity — which marked an overwhelming number of the disgusting comments about Jones that I could find in a net search.

Herbst called anonymous comments and posts a significant contributor to the crisis of civility” online and, subsequently, in society. While noting some unnamed speech must be protected, such as whistleblowers reporting misdeeds, Herbst suggested an online campaign: “Our message should be incessantly to everyone, starting with young people, that it does not count unless you put your name on it.”

As offensive to some as Twitter’s ban may be, it undeniably is another example of where we collectively may be staking out the boundaries of what can and cannot be posted — sometimes in fits and starts prompted by events. Print publications and broadcast outlets — with some measure of government involvement in the latter due to public ownership of the airwaves — have gone through the cycle in earlier times.

News operations have developed their own guidelines to restrain “live” TV coverage of police chases, threatened suicides and such. Journalism groups have debated and reshaped ethics codes. Network television standards have changed to permit language and images that never would have been seen a generation ago.

The speed, volume and persistence of online posts raise new questions around rules and regulations regarding defamation and harassment developed in an earlier media era — and for relatively new spaces of social media, where private “terms of service” rather than government statutes and court decisions over time have determined a measure of what’s acceptable and what’s not.

If users agree with where Twitter eventually sets its rules, it will continue to prosper. If not, assuredly the next new thing in social media will pop up, get popular and likely start the process all over again.

This latest Twitter flap is not the end of free speech on the web. But it’s certainly a sizeable milepost in the ongoing discussion of what we want to be said freely online.

Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute and senior vice president of the Institute’s First Amendment Center. He can be reached at [email protected].

We know the story by heart.

Lucy has once again cajoled Charlie Brown to kick the football that she will hold for him. Even though he is dubious, he remains, as ever, just optimistic enough. He approaches the ball, draws back his foot, and then, inevitably, Lucy whips the ball away. Charlie Brown screams “AAUGH, flies into the air” and ends up, as always, flat on his back.

In all of Charles Shultz’s “Peanuts” comic strips, no single recurring joke has more power than the football story. There’s the guarded, yet ever-present optimism of Charlie Brown, and the snarky consistency of Lucy’s cruel, but predictable, betrayal.

The joke works so well because we’ve all been there, done that. We’ve known not to trust someone or something, only to be lured once more into making the mistake we’ve made in the past. Yet the joke also works because – at some point – Lucy did hold the football down, and Charlie Brown kicked it, just as his (and our) expectations dictated.

So what has this got to do with moderate Republicans in Kansas? Well, everything.

Every two years, moderate Republicans tell the world that, yes indeed, this will be the year in which they reverse the increasing right-wing dominance within the Republican Party and, more generally, within Kansas state government. After all, these traditional Republicans reason, they constitute the rightful governing elite in Kansas, manifested in such politicos as governors Bill Avery, Bob Bennett, and Mike Hayden and senators Frank Carlson, Bob Dole, and, to a point, Jerry Moran.

But the last governor from this wing of the party was Bill Graves, who left office almost 14 years ago, and the days are long gone that Bennett, Representative Pete McGill, and former Johnson County legislative leaders like Speaker Wendell Lady and Senate President Dick Bond could rule the roost.

Still, for twenty years or so, moderate Republicans have promised, time and again, that this will be the year that they really get serious about electoral politics, to do the hard work that conservatives and the far right have done since the early 1990s, when they took over the Republican Party apparatus, from precinct committee slots to the state party chair.

Moderates historically have concluded that they were raising adequate funds, working long hours, knocking on enough doors, only to come up short. And in 2012, when Governor Brownback coupled the far right’s work ethic with big money to purge moderate Republicans from the Senate, the result was a blood bath.

In short, for election cycle after election cycle, moderate Republicans across the state put the football down, only to pull it away, leaving gullible Kansans flat on their backs.

This election season, moderate Republican candidates and their political bedfellows, such as the education community and the Mainstream Coalition, are once again claiming that this is the year, especially given the budgetary mess caused by far-right Republicans. Perhaps it is.

Maybe the funds are there, along with the door-knockers, the postcard mailings, and the larger turnout. Many signs point to better candidates, running more energetic and well-funded campaigns.

Indeed, moderate Republicans like John Doll in Garden City, Ed Berger in Hutchinson, and John Skubal in Johnson County, among others, stand out as strong Senate candidates, who are opposing ideological incumbents by working hard and taking little for granted before the crucial August 2 primary.

No victories are guaranteed, of course, but this could be the year that moderate Republicans won’t pull the ball away, and Kansas GOP voters will have a fair chance to kick some of Governor Brownback’s far-right allies out of office.

Maybe. But there is a reason the joke works so well.

Burdett Loomis has taught political science at the University of Kansas since 1979.

While many grocery buyers feel the pinch of price increases, there’s a way today’s smart, frugal shoppers can save money on the family food bill. Some may see a 10 -15 percent savings. On the average food bill, this could mean $600 – $1,000 a year.

Most shoppers, my wife is one of the best, have compiled a list of cost-cutting ideas. Here are some effective ways to save at the checkout counter.

First, smart shoppers should know what they are buying. Today’s modern supermarkets carry as many as 50,000 items. This number has tripled from the 15,000 items back in 1980.

Product information is essential in selecting the best buy. This requires reading, listening and studying. For example, the product label is a source of information on nutrition, menu use, quantity and quality of the food item.

Secondly, cost-conscious shoppers must buy when and where the price is right. There are many times to buy on special, buy store or generic brands or buy in quantity, if shoppers keep abreast of the price practices of our highly competitive supermarkets. Comparative shopping leads to savings because different stores usually specialize in different items.

Shopper loyalty cards may be another way to save on the family food bill.

Accurate record keeping has become an important part of a smart shopping routine. Money-saving ideas take time but result in time well spent. One-half hour of planning before each shopping trip can result in substantial savings.

Cost-conscious shoppers influence the entire food industry. If shoppers do not check prices, retailers may display items that sell by saturation advertising or gimmick packaging which increase food costs.

Retailers who respond to cost-conscious shoppers must look for the best buy from suppliers. Farmers who fill these orders must make the best use of their resources to meet the competition.

Smart shopping can bring satisfaction instead of frustration. Initially, this satisfaction results from actual savings in the family’s food budget. Secondly, the wise shopper realizes intelligent buying keeps our food industry the best in the world.

Securing the most for your food dollar is significant to every consumer. It is worth the effort.

John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.

To Hutchinson area basketball fans from my generation, the name Dick Gisel rings familiar. From the mid 1960’s until he retired in 1995, Dick taught history & psychology and served as assistant and head basketball coach at Buhler High, Hutchinson Community College (HCC) and at Hutchinson High School. As head coach at HCC in 1975, the Blue Dragons entered the NJCAA tournament rated number one in the nation. Dick feels his other most memorable experience was having the opportunity to be assistant HCC coach for 8 years under Gene Kady who eventually went on to become head basketball coach at Purdue.

Gisel is also well known for something else in the Hutchinson area; the melons he grows and sells at his small hobby farm each summer. His dad grew melons for years, and for around 15 years now Gisel has grown between 4 and 6 acres of watermelons and cantaloupes, even adding pumpkins for a time. He says “I like to work and I like to see things grow, so growing and selling melons keeps me busy and keeps me connected with people.” The first years the patch consisted of numerous varieties, but now he has chosen just one variety each of watermelon and cantaloupe to keep life simpler. The Kansas State Fair awards a “governor’s sweepstakes” prize each year for the best display of 3 different varieties of melons, and half-a-dozen years ago the Gisels won it twice in a row. Dick won the first year, and as the story goes, his wife Jan won the following year even after Dick had secretly chosen his melons first.

“Now these are fun stories,” you’re saying, “But how does this story make an outdoor column”? To melon growers and to predator hunters and trappers, it’s well known that raccoons and coyotes love watermelons. Over the years the Gisels have lost dozens upon dozens of watermelons to the sweet tooth of those two critters, and they have already begun mooching from his patch this year. He said the damage wasn’t bad for the first couple years, but then evidently the word spread through the critter community, and during August last year he lost 3 or 4 watermelons every night to four-legged panhandlers.

Raccoons usually gnaw a hole in the side of a melon and dig out all the insides they can reach, then move on to a fresh melon. Gisel told me a few years ago coon’s got into a trailer load he had picked that day and ruined all the melons they could reach by chewing a hole in each. Coyotes on the other hand most often break a melon to pieces, sometimes even moving it from the patch to an isolated location before they chow down. The most recommended solution is to exclude the thugs from the garden with a fence of some sort. Other fixes reported to work with varying results include somehow lighting up the area at night, playing radios all night, placing scarecrows or flashing lights amongst the vines, spraying melons with hot pepper sauce, wrapping young melons in old pantyhose and even spraying human urine around the plants, all in an effort to spook the intruders.

Gisel has tried numerous solutions over the years to curb the thievery, some which seemed to help for a time, but none with lasting results. He tried a scarecrow for a few years, a radio for a week or so, placed a row of little wind spinners along the entire length of the patch and even parked his pickup in the garden overnight. He once borrowed a hunting blind and sat all night among the plants with his twelve gauge at the ready, but not one four legged thief even showed. His latest experiment is to step out the door each night just before he goes to bed and fire his shotgun into the air a couple times to try to disrupt the varmint’s intentions. The funniest thing he’s seen from all this is when a coyote actually left droppings on top of a ripe melon, as if to mark it for the following night.

The bottom line to keeping critters out of a garden or melon patch is that a fence will work most of the time, but every other fix, homemade or otherwise works for some of the people some of the time, but don’t bet the farm on them. I like Dick Gisel’s take on the whole thing, as he quoted what his dad said to him many years ago; “Dick, you just gotta’ grow enough for all of them!” Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].

Correction! The facts I want to talk about in this letter weren’t actually forgotten, they were deliberately ignored by mainstream media.

True, as pointed out by liberal press, Hillary won’t be reprimanded or indicted on two scandals. She escaped any legal repercussions in the Benghazi scandal and her use of a private unsecured email server as secretary of state.

That’s all liberal media wanted readers to know. Small wonder an illegal felon has a higher favorability rating than does today’s press, reporters, etc. that will do anything to put another Democrat in the White House.

The narrative our not so free press wasn’t about to cover is what Democrats did regarding Benghazi and the Hillary email scandal. What was left out in the news reports may not be legal bombshells, but are political bombshells!

Liberal media likes to talk about how much was spent by the Benghazi congressional committee. No way will it point out that the Obama and Hillary State Department stonewalled requests for information by the committee to get to the bottom of what happened in Benghazi, Libya as four Americans were killed. Those delays added to costs.

Since when do Democrats care how taxpayer’s money is spent as per our 19 trillion dollar national debt? The government spends that much on nonsensical stuff as “the mating habits of gerbils.” If it was a Republican scandal there would be no problem adding another trillion to our debt and driving it into the ground for years.

The final Benghazi report proved that, instead of an administration concerned about four American lives, pure politics kicked in. It is a fact some guy’s video “did not” cause the attack on the American compound. It is a fact that Obama, Hillary, and Susan Rice lied through their teeth about a video being responsible. Hillary’s emails prove she knew it was a planned terrorist attack and not a video.

There were lies on TV by all three even the big lie during a United Nations speech by Obama. Hillary even lied to the families of the deceased that it was a video then even had the gall to lie she ever said that. All of the families said she told them it was the video.

With some 50 days before Obama’s 2012 re-election the narrative was a video in order for Obama and Hillary not to look bad about their utter failure in dealing with the country of Libya that was supposed to be an American ally following the overthrow of the Gaddafi government. Libya became a total mess back then and still is.

Another bombshell in the final report showed that no support was sent during the eight hours that Benghazi was under siege. The four Americans were left high and dry to die by our government. Kansas congressman Mike Pompeo, a member of the committee, said no action was taken to save the four Americans in order to protect a president’s political legacy. And, that is a fact!

The political fallout on Hillary’s emails needs to be covered in some other letter. True, she escaped indictment, however, her total incompetence with her emails, her lies galore about them, and putting lives at risk by compromising national security with unsecured emails is appalling.

Liberal media and most Democrats would love to have this whole thing go away, but stay tuned. There’s far too much at stake. The email scandal will not go away any time soon as a major issue in choosing our next president.

The way FBI Director James Comey spelled out her carelessness (and lies) should cause anybody with concern for the country to never ever vote for such a person whether Democrat or Republican, black or white, male or female.

Les Knoll lives in Victoria and Gilbert, Ariz.

The 2016 Ellis County Fair will be held on the fairgrounds in northwest Hays on July 16-23. Events, entertainment and exhibits will feature the fair theme “Heroes in the Heartland.”

There’s fun for everyone at the fair. Traditional evening events include two nights of races, two nights of rodeo, a truck and tractor pull, a concert and a demolition derby. The fair also includes a carnival and plenty of free entertainment– such as pig races, petting zoo, nightly free-stage concerts, a clown and face painter in the building and a strolling magician on the midway.

The official fair book gives all the details– from event schedules to competition categories and all the information you need to get involved. Check out all the fair information online at www.elliscountyfair.com.

Here are just a few of the highlights of the this year’s Ellis County Fair; plans may be subject to change due to weather or other circumstances:

Saturday, July 16
• Open Class Horse Show- 8:30 am in the Rodeo Arena
• Car Races- 7:00 pm at RPM Speedway

Sunday, July 17
• 4-H Horse Show- 8:30 a.m. in the Rodeo Arena
• Car Races- 7:00 p.m. at RPM Speedway

Monday, July 18
• Enter all exhibits (except food/crops/gardening/flowers)- 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Schenk Building.

Tuesday, July 19
• Enter crops, gardening, wheat show and open class foods- 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. in the Schenk Building. The building is then closed to the public for judging until 7:00 p.m..
• 4-H Food Sale -10:00 a.m. to about 3:00 p.m. (or until sold out) in the Schenk Building lobby. Support 4-H by purchasing prize-winning baked goods at bargain prices.
• KPRA Rodeo and Rodeo Queen Coronation- 7:00 p.m. in the Rodeo Arena.
• Old-Timer’s Fitting and Showing Contest, 7:00 p.m. in the Livestock Arena
• Pig Races, 6:00 p.m., 7:30 pm and 9:00 pm, on the Midway.

Wednesday, July 20
• Enter flowers- 8:00-9:30 a.m. in the Schenk Building; judging begins at 10:00 a.m.
• 4-H Small Pet Show- 1:00 p.m., 4-H Cat Show- 3:00 pm, Deutschfest Hall.
• Safety Fair- 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Kids Pedal Pull- 7:00 p.m. on the Midway.
• Pig Races, 6:00 p.m, 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., on the Midway.
• KPRA Rodeo and Mutton Busting- 7:00 pm in the Rodeo Arena.

Thursday, July 21
• 4-H Foods Challenge- 9:00 a.m. to noon, Deutschfest Hall
• Lego Bricks Building Contest- 2:00 pm, Deutschfest Hall
• Pig Races, 6:00 p.m, 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., on the Midway.
• Truck and Tractor Pull- 7:00 p.m. at RPM Speedway

Friday, July 22
• 4-H Barbecue- 4:30-7:00 p.m. in the Unrein Family Building. Tickets cost $8.00 and must be purchased in advance from a 4-H member or the Ellis County Extension Office; no tickets will be sold at the door.
• 4-H Livestock Sale- 6:00 p.m. in the Livestock Show Arena.
• Pig Races, 6:00 p.m, 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., on the Midway.
• Little Texas concert with Ricky Fugitt opening- 7:45 p.m. in the Rodeo Arena

Saturday, July 23
• Release exhibits and building clean up- 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Schenk Building
• 4-H and Open Class Dog Show- 12:45 p.m. at the Schenk Building
• Horseshoe Tournament- 2:00 pm, Livestock Arena, sign up 1:30-2:00 p.m.
• Pig Races, 6:00 p.m, 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., on the Midway.
• Demolition Derby- 7:00 p.m. at RPM Speedway
Bring the whole family to the 2016 Ellis County Fair. Be sure to check out the indoor exhibits, commercial vendors, livestock shows and delicious fair food. There will be fun for everyone!

Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

Police shootings, violent retaliations, and peaceful protests have put race at the top of America’s political agenda. In Kansas, another racial issue has haunted us for seven years and counting: the vitriolic, overheated rejection of everything associated with President Obama, including the Democratic Party label.

In 2006 Democrats won most elected, statewide offices in Kansas, plus two of four U.S. House seats. Today, the state is Republican from top to bottom, even as officeholders like Governor Sam Brownback set polling records for unpopularity, having consistently and egregiously mismanaged the state’s budget and more. Yet voting “D” seems off the agenda. Starting in 2010, Republicans have won here by tying their opponents to Obama.

Why is this? Truth be told, Obama is a political moderate. Consider:

• Obama’s signature law, the Affordable Care Act or “Obamacare,” combines new regulations on health insurers, subsidies for the uninsured, and incentives to states that expand Medicaid. Some of these policies are broadly popular, such as the ban on denying coverage to those with preexisting medical conditions. Medicaid expansion has passed even in heavily Republican states, including Arkansas and Kentucky (but not Kansas).

Obama’s refusal to support a government-run health insurance program like Canada’s has brought him heated opposition from critics on the left: most prominently, Sen. Bernie Sanders. Granted, one would expect small-government conservatives to also oppose at least parts of the ACA, but why all the drama about imaginary “death panels” and the like?

• The growth of the federal debt in 2009-10 is largely due to the Great Recession and the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which Obama inherited from the George W. Bush Administration. Since then, federal debt as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product has steadily declined.

• What about the expanded federal role in environmental policies such as air quality standards and protecting the lesser prairie chicken? These are legitimate debates about executive power but they hardly capture the “Patriots Unite, Take Our Country Back” rhetoric of Obama’s frantic opponents. Besides, the courts have blocked many of these executive actions.

• On illegal immigration, Obama has overseen more deportations than any other U.S. President.

• Finally comes gun control: supposedly at the core of Obama hatred. In truth, Obama has not made gun control a signature issue of his political career. As a state and then U.S. Senator, he was never a lead sponsor of gun control legislation, nor did he make gun control a defining campaign issue. Only once during his two terms has Obama taken a clear stand on a gun control bill, in supporting mild restrictions after the Sandy Hook school shootings in 2012. That bill did not become law. Yet gun and ammunition sales spiked when Obama was elected President, and he continues to be public enemy #1 for the NRA and its members.
Again, why?

These facts buttress Obama’s case as a political moderate, but they have not deterred the acidic hatred of him from infecting politics in Kansas and other “red” states. While having coffee in Wichita, a colleague even overheard one man tell his friend “somebody should shoot that [expletive deleted],” referring to Obama and his supposed desire to disarm American gun owners: a fear utterly unrelated to facts.

It is impossible to pinpoint anything in Obama’s record that explains this seething hatred, but perhaps the reaction to Obama’s race, his diverse supporters, and his Kenyan Muslim father can do so.

“Bleeding Kansas” was founded on a racial division: abolition vs. slavery. Wild-eyed abolitionist John Brown still stares at us from the walls of the state capitol. Obama’s own mother was born here. Will 2016 be the year Kansans honestly confront our attitudes about race? If we want a more rational, more productive political climate, this is a necessary first step.

Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.

I would like to state my sincere appreciation to Congressman Tim Huelskamp and his staff for their assistance in resolving a recent issue at Hays Regional Airport.

Last month, equipment that monitors air speed, temperature, humidity and other conditions broke. Unfortunately, the Federal Aviation Administration was being quite slow in replacing the equipment. Further, they would not allow the city of Hays to fix the equipment itself, allow manual weather observations or use any of the other ten weather stations in town.

Without this information, it would not be safe for flights to take off or land. This could have severely impacted operations at the airport.

Several federally elected officials were contacted to see if a mutually agreeable solution could be reached so operations would not be impacted. Within a few hours of being contacted, Congressman Huelskamp’s office had already scheduled a meeting with the FAA and the issue was resolved within 48 hours. Over the ensuing weeks, his office followed up with the FAA to ensure such a situation does not occur again.

I want to publicly thank Congressman Huelskamp and his staff for their efforts. I believe without his personal intervention a positive outcome would not have been possible.

James Meier
Commissioner, City of Hays

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