Kansas has traditionally been a true “RED” state, especially at the Federal level.  We have had a left of center Democrat represent Northeast Kansas and a Democrat Governor but the Federal delegation in Kansas has been always dominated by the GOP.  In the “Year of the OBAMA” Kansas maintained its true RED stature.  At the state level Kansas Republicans even picked up a seat in the Kansas Senate, and defeated a one term Democrat in the Second Congressional District.  Kansas will have a very tough primary to replace Conservative U.S. Senator Sam Brownback.  The two vying for the open Senate seat are the Honorable Jerry Moran R-Hays, and the Honorable Todd Tiahrt R-Wichita.  While Moran has angered many Kansas Conservatives by his indecision to run against then one-term Governor Kathleen Sebelius.  State level politicians were being ran over by the Sebelius machine with a great deal of out of state money.  Moran feel into disfavor by first announcing he was going to run against Sebelius then telling Kansas he was not going to run.  Kansas then started looking for another viable candidate and Moran said he would run again but only again declared he was not running for Governor.  The GOP machine was greatly crippled by Moran’s indecision while Tiahrt was returning most every week to support GOP candidates in the Wichita region.  This action by Tiahrt proved his metal to the grassroot GOP.  Furthermore, Tiahrt is doubling efforts to reach out to “Tea Party” folks and those that consider themselves independent and are growing ever-increasingly angry with the politics in Washington.  The Kansas GOP should be targeting these independents especially looking at the exit poll numbers in New Jersey and Virginia.  There is one problem though………….  many in the Kansas GOP especially at the state level are all too similar to other liberal Republicans like Sens. McCain and Snow.  There is one candidate for the U.S. Senate seat that can truly attract these conservative independents and that candidate is Congressman Todd Tiahrt.  Hopefully with Tiahrt’s efforts Kansas can gain a even more impressive margin in the State House and State Senate, while attracting enough fiscal conservatives to finally defeat Liberal Dennis Moore for the Third Congressional Seat.

Recently Cardinal O’Malley, a usually a strong defender of Catholic tradition, commented on the Sen. Ted Kennedy’s Funeral.  He defended his position of givingthe Sacraments to a political figure that openly contridicted the teachings of the Church.  Of course, this broght on additional commentary from Conservative Catholics, and a very heated exchange occured.  My issues with the Heirarchy in the Catholic Church is that some priests and bishops will openly challenge the writings and decrees from the Vatican.  The liberal response to this critism is the Church needs to allow Grace to be given to these Catholics through the seven sacrements, in effort to bring them fully into the Church.  I just think this waters down the teaching of morality by the modern Church.  Thankfully, we have a Pope and Vatican that defends life at every turn, but in my perspective I wish they would take a harder line on bishops and priests that give the sacrements to those that enact public policy contrary to the teachings of the Church.