By JOEL MATHIS <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-06-22/years-after-nixing-a-deal-with-tyson-this-small-kansas-town-is-still-growing">Kansas Leadership Center</a>

TONGANOXIE, Kansas — The evening of Aug. 2, 2021, was a big one for this northeast Kansas town.

The major item on the<a href="http://www.tonganoxiemirror.com/news/2021/aug/04/tonganoxie-city-council-approves-additional-measur/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.tonganoxiemirror.com/news/2021/aug/04/tonganoxie-city-council-approves-additional-measur/" target="_blank">city council’s agenda?</a>
 A measure to give a 10-year, 100% tax abatement to Hill’s Pet 
Nutrition, a Topeka-based company with plans to bring a $250 million 
pet-food plant — along with 80 new jobs — to the community.

The project would later be dubbed a “deal of the year” by<a href="http://www.tonganoxiemirror.com/news/2022/mar/03/hills-pet-nutrition-receives-national-award-new-ex/#:~:text=Hill's%20Pet%20Nutrition%2C%20which%20is,Gov." target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.tonganoxiemirror.com/news/2022/mar/03/hills-pet-nutrition-receives-national-award-new-ex/#:~:text=Hill's%20Pet%20Nutrition%2C%20which%20is,Gov." target="_blank">Business Facilities</a> magazine.

But first, the council had to hold a public hearing to let Tonganoxie residents give their input.

Mayor David Frese opened the hearing. “Is there anyone who cares to speak?” he asked.

He looked around for a few seconds. Nobody came forward.

“OK.
 I’m not seeing anyone who cares to speak,” Frese said, “so at this 
point I will close the public hearing.” The big night turned 
anticlimactic. A few moments later, the council unanimously approved the
 abatement.

That was a far cry from 2017, after Kansas and 
Leavenworth County officials announced another big deal — to bring a big
 new Tyson chicken processing plant with hundreds of jobs to the area.

Then the community erupted in a<a href="https://klcjournal.com/understanding-the-reversal-of-fortunes-in-tonganoxie-chicken-plant-controversy/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://klcjournal.com/understanding-the-reversal-of-fortunes-in-tonganoxie-chicken-plant-controversy/" target="_blank">social-media driven furor</a>, replete with demonstrations and name-calling that drove one council member<a href="https://www.kcur.org/community/2018-06-27/poultry-plant-controversy-signaled-tonganoxies-demographic-transformation" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.kcur.org/community/2018-06-27/poultry-plant-controversy-signaled-tonganoxies-demographic-transformation" target="_blank">to resign</a>, saying she had received threats.<a href="http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article171977397.html" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article171977397.html" target="_blank">Erin Brockovich</a>,
 the activist and Lawrence native played in the eponymous movie by Julia
 Roberts, weighed in. Tyson quickly gave up on its plans, eventually 
locating the new plant in Tennessee. The controversy drew national 
attention that left a shadow over Tonganoxie that lingers to this day.

“It
 split the town,” says Frese, a former Kansas City Star reporter who was
 elected mayor after the debate faded. “I don’t think anybody really 
wanted it though.”

But the dustup didn’t keep Hill’s from coming to town. And while the new project wasn’t totally<a href="https://fox4kc.com/news/its-going-to-disrupt-our-lives-tonganoxie-residents-worried-about-new-pet-food-manufacturing-plant/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://fox4kc.com/news/its-going-to-disrupt-our-lives-tonganoxie-residents-worried-about-new-pet-food-manufacturing-plant/" target="_blank">without opposition</a>, it didn’t attract nearly the scrutiny or anger that the Tyson project did.

Local
 residents say the Hill’s project was different from its predecessor — 
smaller in the cultural and environmental impacts it would have on 
Tonganoxie, less freighted with the baggage that Tyson brought from 
being a widely known national company with an already-controversial 
reputation among some. And city officials say they learned a lesson or 
two about transparency from the Tyson experience that they applied to 
subsequent projects.

The result? Relatively smooth sailing for 
Hill’s — and, perhaps, an example for other Kansas communities trying to
 overcome their own controversies, or seeking to balance economic 
development against their residents’ desires to preserve the character 
of their own towns.

“I feel like it’s a better fit than Tyson ever
 would have been,” says Steve Skeet, a real estate agent who opposed 
Tyson. “Tyson was just not a fit for this community.”

But it’s also interesting to consider what has and hasn’t really changed. In the aftermath of Tyson, the community started<a href="https://www.kcur.org/community/2018-06-27/poultry-plant-controversy-signaled-tonganoxies-demographic-transformation" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.kcur.org/community/2018-06-27/poultry-plant-controversy-signaled-tonganoxies-demographic-transformation" target="_blank">talking</a>
 about filling downtown storefronts and getting more strategic about 
economic development. And in the years after the plant’s rejection, 
local entrepreneurship has certainly blossomed.

In fact, the 
downtown business district is doing as well as anybody can remember. “I 
think we only have one vacant building right now. It’s been a while 
since that’s been the case,” says Monica Gee, owner of the Wizard of 
Paws pet salon and president of the Tonganoxie Business Association. “I 
think our economy is just good right now for our businesses. People — 
because of COVID — are shopping local more sometimes. That’s been a huge
 plus for us.”

But the community remains keenly interested in wooing big companies 
to town to fill its slowly developing business park and broaden the tax 
base to fund growing demand for community services that commuting 
homeowners use but can’t fully pay for with their property taxes.

So big companies remain part of the community’s growth strategy. Just not ones named Tyson.

It’s
 not hard to get a sense of Tonganoxie. Just go downtown to Flashbacks, a
 diner owned by former fire chief Charlie “Tuna” Conrad and step inside.
 The walls are covered with the city’s history – trophies and pictures 
and hundreds of other items documenting the best of what “Tongie” has to
 offer. Stick around long enough, and you’ll probably get to talk to 
Conrad himself, and learn about the time decades ago when the city’s 
residents raised $500 for his ailing dad at a 10-cents-a-serving ice 
cream social.

“I’ll never forget it. I was a kid, and I’ll never 
forget it,” Conrad says. “The community came together. It pulls together
 when it’s the right thing to do.” He adds: “That’s who we are.”

Tonganoxie
 is also changing. It sits near three of the state’s largest cities – 
roughly 40 miles from Topeka, 20 from Lawrence, and just minutes away 
from the suburbs of Kansas City.

That location has fueled incredible growth: The town’s population<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonganoxie,_Kansas" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonganoxie,_Kansas" target="_blank">nearly doubled</a>
 during the first decade of the 21st century, from a bit more than 2,700
 residents to nearly 5,000. The 2020 census showed another growth spurt,
 up to more than 5,500 people. That growth has brought new amenities to 
town, such as bigger, newer schools and a shiny new library at the 
entrance to downtown. But it has also brought pressures in the form of 
rising home prices, and unmistakable changes to the landscape: New 
multifamily housing developments have been built recently, the first new
 construction of that type in 30 years.

Longtime residents say 
Tonganoxie still has a small-town feel. “I like that there is a 
community and a sense of a town,” Gee says. “There’s a base that you 
want to come back to and your kids would want to come back to. You want 
to grow here.”

Some observers attributed the Tyson controversy to 
that growth: If Tonganoxie is still on the small-and-charming side, it 
isn’t quite as “rural” as it used to be. While most Kansas counties are 
losing population and looking to revive their fading fortunes, Tongie 
was<a href="https://www.hpj.com/ag_news/plans-on-hold-for-tyson-foods-poultry-production-complex/article_a12168ab-7a6e-5cb2-a08f-28345f6f79c0.html" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.hpj.com/ag_news/plans-on-hold-for-tyson-foods-poultry-production-complex/article_a12168ab-7a6e-5cb2-a08f-28345f6f79c0.html" target="_blank">already bustling</a>.
 And the town’s newer residents, many of whom commute daily to work in 
Kansas City, weren’t used to having livestock or other ag operations as 
neighbors.

“We’ve got doctors, lawyers, media people, professionals of all kinds who live out there,” one opponent noted.

That meant many local residents weren’t quite ready in 2017 to accept an agricultural behemoth that planned to bring<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kansas-town-rejects-tyson-chicken-plant-1600-jobs/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kansas-town-rejects-tyson-chicken-plant-1600-jobs/" target="_blank">1,600 new jobs</a>
 to the area, with the added expectation that the surrounding 
countryside would fill up with chicken farms to feed the new processing 
plant. Local residents complained about everything from low pay — 
they’re still sensitive to accusations of racism that went with that — 
to the likelihood the new facility would produce<a href="https://www.wave3.com/story/1149915/residents-say-smell-from-tyson-chicken-farm-violates-ordinance/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.wave3.com/story/1149915/residents-say-smell-from-tyson-chicken-farm-violates-ordinance/" target="_blank">foul odors</a> and other<a href="https://www.mightyearth.org/2018/04/04/tyson-responds-to-environmental-campaign-and-public-pressure-addresses-pollution-in-supply-chain/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.mightyearth.org/2018/04/04/tyson-responds-to-environmental-campaign-and-public-pressure-addresses-pollution-in-supply-chain/" target="_blank">environmental problems</a>.

Others
 were angry that Tyson’s announcement came seemingly from nowhere, an 
unwelcome surprise presented almost as a fait accompli to a community 
that hadn’t expected it. And some people simply didn’t want a 
meat-processing plant as their neighbor.

“One, it was going to be 
across from my parents’ farm, which would have absolutely destroyed 
that. Two, it made no economical sense to put a chicken house between KU
 and Kansas City — just the demographics of this area. It made 
absolutely no sense,” says Skeet. He also opposed Tyson “because of 
their<a href="https://www.mightyearth.org/2019/02/01/shareholders-push-tyson-on-water-pollution/#:~:text=In%20a%20recent%20report%20from,January%202016%20and%20June%202018." target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.mightyearth.org/2019/02/01/shareholders-push-tyson-on-water-pollution/#:~:text=In%20a%20recent%20report%20from,January%202016%20and%20June%202018." target="_blank">history with pollution</a>.
 … I went to K-State, majored in agriculture. So I’ve never been a fan 
of Tyson when I knew what their practices were in the first place.”

The fight was fierce and short. It took just <a href="https://klcjournal.com/understanding-the-reversal-of-fortunes-in-tonganoxie-chicken-plant-controversy/" target="_blank">14 days</a> for Tyson to reverse course. The company tried again in<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article188550779.html" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article188550779.html" target="_blank">Sedgwick County</a>, only to also give up there — eventually, the new plant was located in Gibson County, Tennessee, where it not only inspires<a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2021/05/06/tyson-foods-west-tennessee/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2021/05/06/tyson-foods-west-tennessee/" target="_blank">criticism</a> but was named in a<a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/briefs/lawsuit-tyson-foods-shorted-construction-firm-millions-for-gibson-county-plant/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/briefs/lawsuit-tyson-foods-shorted-construction-firm-millions-for-gibson-county-plant/" target="_blank">recent lawsuit</a> alleging the company stiffed the construction firm that built the facility.

But
 local and company officials celebrated the prospect of the $425 million
 project injecting more than $150 million a year into the Tennessee 
economy at the plant’s opening.

“Tyson Foods has been doing 
business in Tennessee for nearly 50 years and we’re committed to making a
 positive impact on Humboldt and the entire region,” Tom McCue, the 
complex’s manager, said in a Tyson press release.

Back in 
Tonganoxie, community leaders say they came under scrutiny that hasn’t 
entirely gone away – although, they say, it mostly takes the form of 
social media complaints rather than any organized campaign like the one 
that fought Tyson.

“I think it has made the community more aware 
of what’s going on development-wise,” says Gee, who also serves on the 
city’s planning commission. “People are seeing it and paying attention. 
Prior to that, it was going with the flow.”

Tyson
 remains a delicate subject for city leaders, who point out that the 
plant was actually proposed for a site several miles outside the city 
limits. The project was put together by state and county development 
officials — Tonganoxie was directly involved mostly because it would 
have had to approve extending water service to the plant.

Ask what
 changed between Tyson and Hill’s, and you’ll get this response from 
George Brajkovic, the city manager: “Well. That’s a pretty loaded 
question because really nothing changed.”

The Tyson controversy 
was mostly created by outsiders and also fought by outsiders, Brajkovic 
suggests. “A lot of the people we heard from during the Tyson thing 
weren’t city residents,” he says. “They were folks who lived outside the
 city limits.”

The Hill’s project, meanwhile, was more directly 
controlled by city officials – and planned for by them. The city 
purchased land for the industrial park in 2009, and the council approved
 a strategic plan in 2016 to serve partly as a guide to the kinds of 
businesses they wanted to bring to town. That was always going to be a 
slow process – just one other big employer, Unilock, has put down roots 
in the park over the years – but officials say that once the Tyson 
controversy blew over, they stuck to the plan.

There were some 
other notable differences between the Tyson and Hill’s projects. Lt. 
Gov. David Toland, who also heads the Kansas Department of Commerce, 
says one big change at the state level is that the Kansas Department of 
Agriculture had helped shepherd the earlier project into being. When 
Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, took office more than a year after the 
Tyson controversy, he says, those responsibilities shifted to his 
department.

“There is both art and science to the work of economic
 development,” Toland says. “Economic development professionals know 
there needs to be the right balance of community interests. There’s got 
to be a desire for growth in a particular community. There’s got to be 
the local capacity, both political and infrastructure, to accommodate 
growth. There’s a lot of human elements. I think what’s happened in the 
past is that a lot of folks looked at a map and said, ‘This is a good 
place for X.’”

In any event, the Tyson controversy didn’t scare Hill’s. 

“Hill’s
 chose the site for its excellent location, access to a talented and 
diverse pool of workers, a strong and welcoming community, and proximity
 to distributors and suppliers,” Chad Sharp, plant manager for Hill’s 
Pet Nutrition, said in an emailed statement. “Our goal is to be a good 
neighbor to the community and we are committed to minimizing our 
environmental footprint.”

What made Hill’s a better fit for Tonganoxie? Locals say there were several elements.

Scale.
 Again, the Tyson plant was expected to bring as many as 1,600 new jobs 
to the area. The Hill’s plant, meanwhile, is a more automated affair: 
While the facility is plenty big — a $250 million construction project —
 company officials said they were bringing a mere 80 jobs to the 
community. The smaller number is less overwhelming to a small community.

“There’s
 something scalable to that,” Brajkovic says. Appropriately sized 
development is “always going to be a factor in a smaller community.”

Environmental impact.
 Tyson’s attempt to come to Leavenworth County came just a few years 
after the company had paid a $3.95 million settlement with the 
Environmental Protection Agency for alleged Clean Air Act violations at 
plants in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa — a fact<a href="https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2017/09/15/kansas-towns-residents-say-chicken" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2017/09/15/kansas-towns-residents-say-chicken" target="_blank">widely</a>
 noted in media coverage at the time. With Hill’s, Tonganoxie officials 
say they worked to ensure the town’s newest employer would be a good 
environmental citizen. The company even asked for assurances that its 
future neighbors be environmentally sound, officials say, to avoid 
potential problems that might seep into its own product.

“We’ve 
turned down other projects in that business park because we had 
environmental concerns, and that’s just in the last two years,” Frese 
says. “We learned a lot of lessons from Tyson. People don’t want an 
environmental mess. They don’t want something that stinks. They don’t 
want something that’s going to hurt their water.” Frese says he went to 
Topeka several times to walk around — and smell — Hill’s flagship 
manufacturing plant. “I know I’m not the only one who went there.”

Transparency. Local officials signed nondisclosure<a href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2017/09/18/county-commission-votes-rescind-500m-pledge/16528161007/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2017/09/18/county-commission-votes-rescind-500m-pledge/16528161007/" target="_blank">agreements</a>
 while working out the Tyson deal — a normal practice, company officials
 said, but a source of anger when the project finally became public. 
“Tyson has left the local officials there in just a hell of a bind,” 
State Sen. Tom Holland, a Democrat, said at the time.

Since then, 
Tonganoxie officials have worked to increase their day-to-day 
transparency with the public — starting up Facebook pages and streaming 
council meetings on YouTube. That has made it easier for residents to 
follow the process, says Brajkovic, instead of “just expecting folks to 
show up on a Monday night.” And when Hill’s came to town, Frese says, 
officials tried to keep everything aboveboard. “We didn’t want to sign 
any nondisclosure agreements, and they honored that.”

Conrad, who 
opposed the Tyson plant but welcomed Hill’s, agrees. “I think that’s 
helped a lot,” he says, “being a little more open and honest about 
things.”

There were other elements. Locals have the impression 
that the pay at Hill’s will be higher than what Tyson was offering. 
(Kelly’s office said in 2021 the average annual pay at Hill’s would be 
around $60,000.) And Hill’s is a Kansas-based company — increasing 
community members’ direct knowledge and comfort with the business. 
“People could go to Hill’s without getting on a plane,” Frese says.

Skeet
 agrees. “It’s not like a company that’s out of state that’s going to go
 to a state and ruin it and then pull out and never go back,” he says. 
“I mean: They’re from here.”

The Hill’s
 project ended up passing smoothly, but that doesn’t mean the legacy of 
the Tyson controversy has ended. “I think the Tyson thing brought us 
together a little more,” Conrad says. “The negative that came out of it 
is that people think they can oppose anything now.”

City officials
 are also more aware these days of social media criticism, and how it 
can affect their jobs. That’s not always comfortable or welcome. “I’ve 
dumped all of my Facebook accounts, hard delete of them,” Frese says.

One
 thing is for sure, though: There will be more big economic development 
projects coming to Tonganoxie. There has to be. City officials need to 
fill up the business park for several reasons. They need to provide jobs
 for the growing community — people who work out of town often spend a 
lot of their shopping dollars out of town. And somebody needs to pay for
 the new city services made necessary by the growing population.

“Rooftops do not bring money to take that tax burden off,” Gee says. “Businesses and industries will.”

Frese,
 meanwhile, hopes that economic development can help Tonganoxie preserve
 its character and control its own future instead of getting run over by
 the growth of nearby cities. “If we don’t establish our identity and 
our own financial independence, I think we will lose that rural feel,” 
he says.

That means learning the lessons of the Tyson controversy,
 and applying them to future projects. Nobody wants to endure that 
acrimony again.

“I got in a fight with a kid back home 100 years 
ago. And my dad said, ‘That’s fine if you want to fight, but you got to 
understand your mom and I have to live here,’” Frese says. “And I think 
of that every day. … You can say what you want, but at the end of the 
day, we have to live with each other. We have to get along.”

A version of this article appears in the Summer 2022 issue of<a href="https://klcjournal.com/about/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://klcjournal.com/about/" target="_blank">The Journal</a>, a publication of the Kansas Leadership Center. To learn more about KLC, visit<a href="http://kansasleadershipcenter.org/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://kansasleadershipcenter.org/" target="_blank">http://kansasleadershipcenter.org</a>. Order your copy of the magazine at the<a href="https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/klcstore/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/klcstore/" target="_blank">KLC Store</a> or<a href="https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/store/one-year-subscription-to-the-journal-4-upcoming-issues/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/store/one-year-subscription-to-the-journal-4-upcoming-issues/" target="_blank">subscribe to the print edition.</a> Both the Kansas Leadership Center and the Kansas News Service get significant funding from the Kansas Health Foundation.

Years after nixing Tyson deal, this small Kan. town still growing

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County has agreed to pay $22,000 to a former employee to settle his racial discrimination lawsuit.

David Partridge, who is biracial,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-discrimination-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-e18f30b908edf0c69ca10b4f8c9d29f3">sued the county last year</a>, saying a coworker on a county work crew called him “boy” or the “colored guy” and sang slavery-era songs with his name added to the lyrics. Partridge’s lawsuit said he worked from December 2019 to August 2021 as a county bridge crewman and was subjected to a racially hostile work environment by his white crew chief.

Partridge said that after he complained, the county determined its racial discrimination policy had been violated, and Partridge was promised he would not have to return to the same work crew. But Partridge said he was denied a different position, offered a third with a lower salary and ultimately fired for refusing to return to the original work crew.

Attorneys for Partridge and the county informed a judge Wednesday of the settlement,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article262825003.html" target="_blank">the Wichita Eagle reported</a>. Partridge had originally sought $75,000.

An attorney for the county, Jennifer Hill, said that as part of the settlement, Partridge agreed not to reapply for any open jobs with the county.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County has agreed to pay $22,000 to a former employee to settle his racial discrimination lawsuit.David Partridge, who is biracial,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-discrimination-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-e18f30b908edf0c69ca10b4f8c9d29f3">sued the county last year</a>, saying a coworker on a county work crew called him “boy” or the “colored guy” and sang slavery-era songs with his name added to the lyrics. Partridge’s lawsuit said he worked from December 2019 to August 2021 as a county bridge crewman and was subjected to a racially hostile work environment by his white crew chief.Partridge said that after he complained, the county determined its racial discrimination policy had been violated, and Partridge was promised he would not have to return to the same work crew. But Partridge said he was denied a different position, offered a third with a lower salary and ultimately fired for refusing to return to the original work crew.Attorneys for Partridge and the county informed a judge Wednesday of the settlement,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article262825003.html" target="_blank">the Wichita Eagle reported</a>. Partridge had originally sought $75,000.An attorney for the county, Jennifer Hill, said that as part of the settlement, Partridge agreed not to reapply for any open jobs with the county.

Kansas county settles racial discrimination lawsuit with $22K

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing stubbornly high gas prices that average about $5 a gallon nationwide, President Joe Biden on Wednesday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-barack-obama-holidays-221ce44407c35e38cd8007e77095eeb4">urged Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes</a>&nbsp;for three months.

If savings from the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on gas are fully passed along to consumers, drivers would save about $2.76 for a 15-gallon fill-up.

It’s unclear, though, if Biden can push his proposal through Congress, where lawmakers, including some Democrats, are skeptical or even opposed to the idea. Many economists also are wary of a gas tax holiday.

A look at how the proposed gas tax holiday would work and what impact it might have on gas prices and a highway trust fund that is paid for in large part by taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel.

WHY IS BIDEN PROPOSING A GAS TAX HOLIDAY?

The price of gas is up dramatically around the world — and by nearly $2 per gallon in the United States — since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russian President Vladimir Putin began amassing troops</a>&nbsp;on the border of Ukraine. High gas prices pose a fundamental threat to Biden’s political and policy ambitions. They’ve caused confidence in the economy to slump, contributed to record inflation and adds to the formidable challenges that Democrats face in keeping control of the House and the Senate in November.

Biden’s past efforts to cut gas prices — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-prices-ae5200310e3d3c0390d9e1cbb3c5a964">release of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve</a>&nbsp;and greater ethanol blending this summer — have done little to produce savings at the pump. Biden says the gas tax holiday can provide some direct relief to consumers, and he is calling on states to follow suit by suspending their own gas taxes or helping consumers in other ways.

“I’m doing my part. I want Congress, states and industry to do their part as well,” he said in a White House speech.

It’s unclear exactly how much drivers would save; a lot depends on whether states lower or suspend their own gas taxes, as Biden has suggested. But it’s not clear how many would do so.

There’s also the question of whether the full savings would be passed on to drivers.

Still, recent studies indicate that a gas tax holiday would result in lower prices.

A Penn Wharton Budget Model analysis says recent suspensions of state gasoline taxes in Maryland, Georgia and Connecticut were mostly passed onto consumers in the form of lower gas prices. About 72% of tax savings in Maryland were passed onto consumers, up to 65% in Georgia and up to 87% in Connecticut, the report says.

However, the price reductions were not sustained during the entire tax holiday, and prices rose once the holiday was lifted, the report said.

The administration says the three-month pause would cost about $10 billion. The lost revenue would otherwise go to the Highway Trust Fund, which finances most federal government spending for highways and mass transit.

Critics of the tax holiday say that could lead to decreased spending on roads, bridges and other infrastructure that are the hallmark of the Biden presidency. But the White House says the money could be transferred from other government accounts and that infrastructure remains a top priority for the president.

If the holiday is extended, as some experts expect, the cost could be tens of billions higher and could jeopardize administration efforts to build and maintain roads and bridges.

Even a temporary gas tax holiday “sets a bad precedent and undermines the funding mechanism in the infrastructure investment law that has been the signature policy achievement of the Biden presidency,″ said Dave Bauer, president and CEO of the American Road &amp; Transportation Builders Association.

Lawmakers from both parties expressed skepticism, or even outright opposition.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers “will see where the consensus lies on a path forward” for Biden’s plan, but she and other congressional Democrats have long worried that suspending the gas tax would allow oil companies to reap additional profits with no guarantee the savings would be passed along to consumers.

Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he opposes the tax suspension in part because it provides minuscule relief and could become permanent. “You know what happens in this town: you suspend the tax, it’s gone forever,” he said Wednesday. “I do not want to compromise the highway trust fund. We have not raised the gas tax since 1993, and it’s worth 6 cents now compared to 1993. No, I do not support in any way degrading that contribution to rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure.”

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, mocked the gas tax holiday as an “ineffective stunt,” while Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. called it a “political band-aid” that would do little to lower costs at the gas pump.

The plan also could have long-term consequences on road safety and improvements by diverting funds away from infrastructure projects across the country, added McMorris Rodgers, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “Under President Biden’s proposal, people will be forced to drive on unsafe, potholed roads to get the gas they can’t afford,” she said.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he was unsure if Democrats have the votes to pass it. “We haven’t counted, so we don’t know yet.″

Marc Goldwein, a senior policy director for the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said the gas tax holiday would not make a dent in inflation or produce big savings at the pump. He also worried it may not be temporary, as the White House suggested.

“Do we really think in three months gas prices will be down? Are we going to raise prices right before an election?″ Goldwein asked in an interview. A long-term suspension of the gas tax would be catastrophic to administration efforts to build and maintain roads and bridges, he said.

But Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said high gas prices are “the number one financial problem for many American households,″ especially those with low incomes. While small, a gas tax holiday “is a step to help these households,″ Zandi said. “They’re under a lot of pressure because of the high gasoline prices. And this is intended to provide some temporary relief. I mean, it’s pretty obvious why the administration is focused on this.″

Still, Zandi said the plan “is not a slam-dunk solution. It’s on the margin.″

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655936757468.png" alt="Biden’s past efforts to cut gas prices — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-prices-ae5200310e3d3c0390d9e1cbb3c5a964">release of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve</a>&nbsp;and greater ethanol blending this summer — have done little to produce savings at the pump. -White House photo" />
 <figcaption>Biden’s past efforts to cut gas prices — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-prices-ae5200310e3d3c0390d9e1cbb3c5a964">release of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve</a>&nbsp;and greater ethanol blending this summer — have done little to produce savings at the pump. -White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing stubbornly high gas prices that average about $5 a gallon nationwide, President Joe Biden on Wednesday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-barack-obama-holidays-221ce44407c35e38cd8007e77095eeb4">urged Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes</a>&nbsp;for three months.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F884500062509296%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=404" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>If savings from the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on gas are fully passed along to consumers, drivers would save about $2.76 for a 15-gallon fill-up.It’s unclear, though, if Biden can push his proposal through Congress, where lawmakers, including some Democrats, are skeptical or even opposed to the idea. Many economists also are wary of a gas tax holiday.A look at how the proposed gas tax holiday would work and what impact it might have on gas prices and a highway trust fund that is paid for in large part by taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel.WHY IS BIDEN PROPOSING A GAS TAX HOLIDAY?The price of gas is up dramatically around the world — and by nearly $2 per gallon in the United States — since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russian President Vladimir Putin began amassing troops</a>&nbsp;on the border of Ukraine. High gas prices pose a fundamental threat to Biden’s political and policy ambitions. They’ve caused confidence in the economy to slump, contributed to record inflation and adds to the formidable challenges that Democrats face in keeping control of the House and the Senate in November.Biden’s past efforts to cut gas prices — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-prices-ae5200310e3d3c0390d9e1cbb3c5a964">release of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve</a>&nbsp;and greater ethanol blending this summer — have done little to produce savings at the pump. Biden says the gas tax holiday can provide some direct relief to consumers, and he is calling on states to follow suit by suspending their own gas taxes or helping consumers in other ways.“I’m doing my part. I want Congress, states and industry to do their part as well,” he said in a White House speech.HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD DRIVERS SAVE?It’s unclear exactly how much drivers would save; a lot depends on whether states lower or suspend their own gas taxes, as Biden has suggested. But it’s not clear how many would do so.There’s also the question of whether the full savings would be passed on to drivers.Still, recent studies indicate that a gas tax holiday would result in lower prices.A Penn Wharton Budget Model analysis says recent suspensions of state gasoline taxes in Maryland, Georgia and Connecticut were mostly passed onto consumers in the form of lower gas prices. About 72% of tax savings in Maryland were passed onto consumers, up to 65% in Georgia and up to 87% in Connecticut, the report says.However, the price reductions were not sustained during the entire tax holiday, and prices rose once the holiday was lifted, the report said.HOW MUCH WOULD A GAS TAX HOLIDAY COST?The administration says the three-month pause would cost about $10 billion. The lost revenue would otherwise go to the Highway Trust Fund, which finances most federal government spending for highways and mass transit.Critics of the tax holiday say that could lead to decreased spending on roads, bridges and other infrastructure that are the hallmark of the Biden presidency. But the White House says the money could be transferred from other government accounts and that infrastructure remains a top priority for the president.If the holiday is extended, as some experts expect, the cost could be tens of billions higher and could jeopardize administration efforts to build and maintain roads and bridges.Even a temporary gas tax holiday “sets a bad precedent and undermines the funding mechanism in the infrastructure investment law that has been the signature policy achievement of the Biden presidency,″ said Dave Bauer, president and CEO of the American Road &amp; Transportation Builders Association.WHAT DOES CONGRESS SAY?Lawmakers from both parties expressed skepticism, or even outright opposition.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers “will see where the consensus lies on a path forward” for Biden’s plan, but she and other congressional Democrats have long worried that suspending the gas tax would allow oil companies to reap additional profits with no guarantee the savings would be passed along to consumers.Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he opposes the tax suspension in part because it provides minuscule relief and could become permanent. “You know what happens in this town: you suspend the tax, it’s gone forever,” he said Wednesday. “I do not want to compromise the highway trust fund. We have not raised the gas tax since 1993, and it’s worth 6 cents now compared to 1993. No, I do not support in any way degrading that contribution to rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure.”Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, mocked the gas tax holiday as an “ineffective stunt,” while Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. called it a “political band-aid” that would do little to lower costs at the gas pump.The plan also could have long-term consequences on road safety and improvements by diverting funds away from infrastructure projects across the country, added McMorris Rodgers, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “Under President Biden’s proposal, people will be forced to drive on unsafe, potholed roads to get the gas they can’t afford,” she said.House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he was unsure if Democrats have the votes to pass it. “We haven’t counted, so we don’t know yet.″WHAT DO EXPERTS SAY?Marc Goldwein, a senior policy director for the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said the gas tax holiday would not make a dent in inflation or produce big savings at the pump. He also worried it may not be temporary, as the White House suggested.“Do we really think in three months gas prices will be down? Are we going to raise prices right before an election?″ Goldwein asked in an interview. A long-term suspension of the gas tax would be catastrophic to administration efforts to build and maintain roads and bridges, he said.But Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said high gas prices are “the number one financial problem for many American households,″ especially those with low incomes. While small, a gas tax holiday “is a step to help these households,″ Zandi said. “They’re under a lot of pressure because of the high gasoline prices. And this is intended to provide some temporary relief. I mean, it’s pretty obvious why the administration is focused on this.″Still, Zandi said the plan “is not a slam-dunk solution. It’s on the margin.″___

How the proposed gas tax holiday would work

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Religious Americans are deeply divided in their views on abortion, and reactions from faith leaders ranged from elation to anger after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that made abortion legal nationwide.

The ruling issued Friday was hailed by leading Catholic bishops, even though a majority of U.S. Catholics support abortion rights.

“I recognize there are people on both sides of the question in the Catholic Church,” said Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “What we are finding though is that when people become more aware of what the church is doing to assist women in difficult pregnancies … hearts and minds begin to change.”

The ruling also was welcomed by many evangelical Christian leaders, including Bart Barber, newly elected president of the the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Southern Baptists “rejoice at the ruling,” he said.

However, the decision — expected to lead to sweeping abortion bans in more than 20 states — was decried by some mainline Protestant leaders, including Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. “I am deeply grieved,” he said.

Several Jewish organizations said the decision infringes on Jewish traditions that accept the need for abortion.

Nadiah Mohajir, co-founder of Heart Women and Girls, a Chicago nonprofit that works with Muslim communities on reproductive rights, expressed dismay: “More than half of American Muslims support safe access to abortion. What we’re seeing here is a very small minority of privileged people who are trying to impose a narrow Christian understanding of when life begins.“

Here are some more reactions from faith leaders:

“The release of the Dobbs decision marks a true turning point in the pro-life movement, a moment that Christians, advocates and many others have worked toward tirelessly for 50 years. ... As this chapter comes to a close, we must understand this is not the end of our important work. The issue of abortion has now been turned over to the states, many of which have either implemented or are considering some of the most abhorrently permissive pro-abortion proposals ever.” — Brent Leatherwood, acting president of the SBC’s Ethics &amp; Religious Liberty Commission, in a statement.

“Today’s Supreme Court decision ... discarding nearly 50 years of precedent, will endanger the lives and well-being of birthing people who do not choose to continue pregnancy. God loves and cares for people who have abortions, and so does the United Church of Christ.” — General ministers of the United Church of Christ, in a joint statement.

“Abortion bans place greater value on the life of the fetus than on the pregnant person, a violation of both Jewish law and tradition and of American religious liberty. Now, it seems only certain people are entitled to religious liberty, which renders the entire concept meaningless.” — Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, in a statement.

“This is a historic day in the life of our country, one that stirs our thoughts, emotions and prayers. For nearly fifty years, America has enforced an unjust law that has permitted some to decide whether others can live or die; this policy has resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of preborn children. ... We mourn their loss, and we entrust their souls to God.” — Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, in a joint statement.

“Catholics on the right spent decades reducing church teaching to a single issue and linked arms with a conservative movement that is hostile to the church’s teachings about a consistent ethic of life and the common good. This ruling is the culmination of that misguided campaign.” — John Gehring, Catholic program director at the Washington-based clergy network Faith in Public Life, via Twitter.

“This Supreme Court abolished the constitutional right to abortion in an opinion that is a direct attack on the separation of church and state. Religious freedom demands the right to an abortion so people can make their own reproductive decisions according to their own principles. ... Americans United is readying religious freedom litigation which will bring this argument to our courts.” — Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a group representing secular Americans, in a statement.

“This historic Supreme Court decision would not have happened without fifty years of patient, loving, hard work by people of all faiths and none in diverse fields including social service, religion, law, medicine, culture, education, policy and politics. But our work has just begun.” — Salvatore Cordileone, Catholic archbishop of San Francisco, in a statement.

“Today’s ruling is further evidence that the regressive political agenda of the far-right has reached the highest court in the land. Bodily autonomy and self-determination are deeply rooted humanist values that are critical for realizing an inclusive, pluralistic, and flourishing society. The right to abortion access has long been a culture-war issue utilized by radical evangelical and White Christian Nationalist movements to control women and undermine the well-being of our society.” — Nadya Dutchin, executive director of the American Humanist Association, in a statement.

“I support the right to life. ... But it’s not my choice. When mostly white legislators pass laws that affect Black bodies, it’s criminalizing the plight of the poor. Once a child is born, there are disparities in health care, education, housing and employment. We could care less about a child outside the womb. It’s a sad day in America.” — The Rev. Clinton Stancil, lead pastor of Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Louis, in an interview.

“Half the states will now become abortion free and millions of innocent lives will be spared from the barbaric practice of abortion. This is a human rights victory beyond all others and justifies the decades of tireless work by selfless pro-life individuals and organizations.” — Troy Newman, president of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, in a statement.

“I am deeply grieved. ... I have been ordained more than 40 years, and I have served as a pastor in poor communities; I have witnessed firsthand the negative impact this decision will have. ... Today’s decision institutionalizes inequality because women with access to resources will be able to exercise their moral judgment in ways that women without the same resources will not.” — Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, in a statement.

“More than ever, those who value all human life must demonstrate their commitment not merely with their words, but also by their deeds. We must urge legislators to protect the unborn, and we must provide compassionate support for women that will help them choose life.” — Adam Greenway, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in a statement.

“This court has no legitimacy. We will not live by this decision.” — The Rev. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister at Middle Collegiate Church in New York City, via Twitter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656187787051.png" alt="Abortion rights protests at the Kansas Statehouse Friday evening-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Abortion rights protests at the Kansas Statehouse Friday evening-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —Religious Americans are deeply divided in their views on abortion, and reactions from faith leaders ranged from elation to anger after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that made abortion legal nationwide.The ruling issued Friday was hailed by leading Catholic bishops, even though a majority of U.S. Catholics support abortion rights.“I recognize there are people on both sides of the question in the Catholic Church,” said Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “What we are finding though is that when people become more aware of what the church is doing to assist women in difficult pregnancies … hearts and minds begin to change.”The ruling also was welcomed by many evangelical Christian leaders, including Bart Barber, newly elected president of the the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Southern Baptists “rejoice at the ruling,” he said.However, the decision — expected to lead to sweeping abortion bans in more than 20 states — was decried by some mainline Protestant leaders, including Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. “I am deeply grieved,” he said.Several Jewish organizations said the decision infringes on Jewish traditions that accept the need for abortion.Nadiah Mohajir, co-founder of Heart Women and Girls, a Chicago nonprofit that works with Muslim communities on reproductive rights, expressed dismay: “More than half of American Muslims support safe access to abortion. What we’re seeing here is a very small minority of privileged people who are trying to impose a narrow Christian understanding of when life begins.“Here are some more reactions from faith leaders:“The release of the Dobbs decision marks a true turning point in the pro-life movement, a moment that Christians, advocates and many others have worked toward tirelessly for 50 years. ... As this chapter comes to a close, we must understand this is not the end of our important work. The issue of abortion has now been turned over to the states, many of which have either implemented or are considering some of the most abhorrently permissive pro-abortion proposals ever.” — Brent Leatherwood, acting president of the SBC’s Ethics &amp; Religious Liberty Commission, in a statement.“Today’s Supreme Court decision ... discarding nearly 50 years of precedent, will endanger the lives and well-being of birthing people who do not choose to continue pregnancy. God loves and cares for people who have abortions, and so does the United Church of Christ.” — General ministers of the United Church of Christ, in a joint statement.“Abortion bans place greater value on the life of the fetus than on the pregnant person, a violation of both Jewish law and tradition and of American religious liberty. Now, it seems only certain people are entitled to religious liberty, which renders the entire concept meaningless.” — Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, in a statement.“This is a historic day in the life of our country, one that stirs our thoughts, emotions and prayers. For nearly fifty years, America has enforced an unjust law that has permitted some to decide whether others can live or die; this policy has resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of preborn children. ... We mourn their loss, and we entrust their souls to God.” — Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, in a joint statement.“Catholics on the right spent decades reducing church teaching to a single issue and linked arms with a conservative movement that is hostile to the church’s teachings about a consistent ethic of life and the common good. This ruling is the culmination of that misguided campaign.” — John Gehring, Catholic program director at the Washington-based clergy network Faith in Public Life, via Twitter.“This Supreme Court abolished the constitutional right to abortion in an opinion that is a direct attack on the separation of church and state. Religious freedom demands the right to an abortion so people can make their own reproductive decisions according to their own principles. ... Americans United is readying religious freedom litigation which will bring this argument to our courts.” — Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a group representing secular Americans, in a statement.“This historic Supreme Court decision would not have happened without fifty years of patient, loving, hard work by people of all faiths and none in diverse fields including social service, religion, law, medicine, culture, education, policy and politics. But our work has just begun.” — Salvatore Cordileone, Catholic archbishop of San Francisco, in a statement.“Today’s ruling is further evidence that the regressive political agenda of the far-right has reached the highest court in the land. Bodily autonomy and self-determination are deeply rooted humanist values that are critical for realizing an inclusive, pluralistic, and flourishing society. The right to abortion access has long been a culture-war issue utilized by radical evangelical and White Christian Nationalist movements to control women and undermine the well-being of our society.” — Nadya Dutchin, executive director of the American Humanist Association, in a statement.“I support the right to life. ... But it’s not my choice. When mostly white legislators pass laws that affect Black bodies, it’s criminalizing the plight of the poor. Once a child is born, there are disparities in health care, education, housing and employment. We could care less about a child outside the womb. It’s a sad day in America.” — The Rev. Clinton Stancil, lead pastor of Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Louis, in an interview.“Half the states will now become abortion free and millions of innocent lives will be spared from the barbaric practice of abortion. This is a human rights victory beyond all others and justifies the decades of tireless work by selfless pro-life individuals and organizations.” — Troy Newman, president of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, in a statement.“I am deeply grieved. ... I have been ordained more than 40 years, and I have served as a pastor in poor communities; I have witnessed firsthand the negative impact this decision will have. ... Today’s decision institutionalizes inequality because women with access to resources will be able to exercise their moral judgment in ways that women without the same resources will not.” — Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, in a statement.“More than ever, those who value all human life must demonstrate their commitment not merely with their words, but also by their deeds. We must urge legislators to protect the unborn, and we must provide compassionate support for women that will help them choose life.” — Adam Greenway, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in a statement.“This court has no legitimacy. We will not live by this decision.” — The Rev. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister at Middle Collegiate Church in New York City, via Twitter.

From joy to anger, faith leaders react to Roe's reversal

By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/23/kansas-republican-ready-to-pull-out-all-the-stops-as-she-takes-on-jerry-moran-and-the-deep-state/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Joan Farr’s campaign flyer is designed to get attention.

The 67-year-old appears armed with an assault rifle, wearing a yellow
 bikini beneath a black jean jacket, curls of reddish-brown hair under a
 straw cowboy hat. The flyer says she is “GUNNING for the U.S. Senate” 
in both Kansas and Oklahoma. On her website, she says the Deep State is 
her TRIGGER, and her AIM is to give them the boot.

This is the fifth time Farr has run for office. Most notably, she 
received 18% of the vote in the 2010 Kansas GOP primary race against Sam
 Brownback. Her new look is a departure from the long dress and shotgun 
she presented two years ago during her independent run for U.S. Senate 
in Oklahoma. That image was too “frumpy,” Farr said in an interview.

“I thought, ‘I gotta pull out all the stops,'” Farr said. “I’ll hold 
my son’s gun, I’ll be in a bikini, and I’ll run in two states.’ I was 
just stepping it up from last time because I can’t get publicity.”

In Kansas, Farr is challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran in the
 GOP primary. Career politicians, she says, are destroying the country. A
 spokesman for Moran’s campaign declined to answer questions or comment 
for this story.

Farr’s top priority is reforming the legal system in Kansas — 
starting with keeping innocent people out of jail in the first place — 
but that message is surrounded by a sea of conspiracy-minded positions 
driven by her disdain for the Deep State.

She wants to ban the United Nations’ plan to control the world 
population, a hoax known as Agenda 21/2030. Mass shootings are staged, 
she said, to justify changing gun laws. Government operatives use 
satellites to insert microchips into people’s brains without their 
knowledge. “They,” by which she means the Deep State, or the 
good-old-boy network, used 5G to give her family COVID-19. “They” also 
rig the elections in Kansas.

But what most people want to know about, she said, is how she can run in two states.

Farr isn’t the first person to take advantage of language in the U.S.
 Constitution that says you can run for the House or Senate in any state
 where you have a residence, without limiting your options to a single 
state. If she happens to win both races, she would have to choose 
whether to represent Oklahoma or Kansas. Farr said she spends most of 
her time in Kansas, taking care of a family member at her Derby home.

In addition to taking on the legal system, Farr wants to remove 
innocent people like herself from the “terrorist watchlist,” and she 
proposed a plan to help people get out of debt.

The way Farr sees it, the biggest complaint Republicans have with 
Democrats is “they don’t want to work, blah, blah, blah.” So she tried 
to come up with a new idea for debt relief, based in part on 
conversations she had with students on college campuses.

“I put it on social media,” Farr said, “and I just got hammered: 
‘You’re socialist. You’re communist.’ ‘What?’ I said. ‘For wanting to 
help people get out of debt because of COVID?’ That’s just crazy.”

Her plan is a social compact: If you give up drugs, alcohol and 
social media for one year, a wealthy person will pay off up to $50,000 
of your debt. If elected, she promises to use her congressional salary 
to pay down people’s debt in this way.

Farr said she landed on the terrorist watchlist about 20 years ago 
after becoming involved in a legal fight over a real estate project. She
 said she previously worked as a police officer, and also worked in 
security and purchasing at Boeing.

The Deep State took an interest in Farr, she believes, “because I 
speak out against them, and I don’t think they want Christian women in 
office. Pretty much, it appears to be good versus evil. I mean, look at 
what they did to Trump.”

Being on the terrorist watchlist, she said, means they hack her 
phone, get into her computer and bank accounts, intercept her mail, and 
sabotage her campaigns.

“They actually have CIA operatives posing as medical personnel in the
 hospital, to discreetly kill people,” Farr said. “And this went on way 
before COVID. I know, because it happened to me. So if you print 
anything, I would just ask that you not make me look like I’m crazy.”

Farr said she printed her campaign flyers last August, long before 
the recent high-profile massacres at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school 
and a Buffalo, New York, supermarket.

“Back then, it was a positive thing,” Farr said of the initial 
reception to her flyer. “Now, you know, my campaign card is out there, 
but of course we’ve had these shootings, which, I’m sorry, but a lot of 
these shootings, in my opinion, are staged. I mean, I could go into it, 
but these mass shootings are what is allowing the government to take 
away our guns or to revise gun laws. You understand what I’m saying?”

The “common denominator” in mass shootings, Farr said, is that the 
shooter heard voices. That’s because “they” can implant a microchip from
 a satellite, allowing government operatives to talk to people.

Farr said the operatives “get them involved in video games, violence,
 so that they’ll go shoot up: ‘Oh, you can do this. You can do just like
 this video game. Go shoot up the school. Go shoot up the theater.’ 
That’s what’s going on. A lot of people don’t want to believe that. 
‘They wouldn’t do that.’ Yes they would.”

Farr shared her theory about mass shootings on her personal Facebook 
page in a May 26 post, two days after the Uvalde shooting. It was poorly
 received.

Suzie Hartford-Bell responded:&nbsp;“Did you eat lead paint chips as a kid?”

“Oh blame the deep state,” Hartford-Bell wrote. “Microchips from 
space? Omg it’s no wonder you think god is real. Mental Instability 
much! Holy cow I thought Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall were bad. You 
have crashed the crazy wagon and caught it on fire! What a loon!”

“Wake up and smell the coffee gf,” Farr replied. “I’ll be praying for you.”

Farr said she is challenging Moran in part because his office 
wouldn’t help her in an attempt to get a Medal of Honor for her father, 
who died while serving in Vietnam.

She thinks she has a chance of competing with Moran, who has served 
in the U.S. Senate since 2011, after 14 years in the U.S. House.

“If you notice, there’s no polls out there,” Farr said. “When they’re
 not showing any poll, that means they have internal polls but not 
publishing them. And so they must not look very good. And I’ve heard a 
lot of people say, in the Republican party, they want him out. So yeah, I
 think I have a chance to win.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656007857004.png" alt="Joan Farr says she had to “pull out all the stops” with her campaign flyer because she can’t get any publicity. She is challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran in the GOP primary in Kansas. (Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Joan Farr says she had to “pull out all the stops” with her campaign flyer because she can’t get any publicity. She is challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran in the GOP primary in Kansas. (Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/23/kansas-republican-ready-to-pull-out-all-the-stops-as-she-takes-on-jerry-moran-and-the-deep-state/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Joan Farr’s campaign flyer is designed to get attention.The 67-year-old appears armed with an assault rifle, wearing a yellow
 bikini beneath a black jean jacket, curls of reddish-brown hair under a
 straw cowboy hat. The flyer says she is “GUNNING for the U.S. Senate” 
in both Kansas and Oklahoma. On her website, she says the Deep State is 
her TRIGGER, and her AIM is to give them the boot.This is the fifth time Farr has run for office. Most notably, she 
received 18% of the vote in the 2010 Kansas GOP primary race against Sam
 Brownback. Her new look is a departure from the long dress and shotgun 
she presented two years ago during her independent run for U.S. Senate 
in Oklahoma. That image was too “frumpy,” Farr said in an interview.“I thought, ‘I gotta pull out all the stops,'” Farr said. “I’ll hold 
my son’s gun, I’ll be in a bikini, and I’ll run in two states.’ I was 
just stepping it up from last time because I can’t get publicity.”In Kansas, Farr is challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran in the
 GOP primary. Career politicians, she says, are destroying the country. A
 spokesman for Moran’s campaign declined to answer questions or comment 
for this story.Farr’s top priority is reforming the legal system in Kansas — 
starting with keeping innocent people out of jail in the first place — 
but that message is surrounded by a sea of conspiracy-minded positions 
driven by her disdain for the Deep State.She wants to ban the United Nations’ plan to control the world 
population, a hoax known as Agenda 21/2030. Mass shootings are staged, 
she said, to justify changing gun laws. Government operatives use 
satellites to insert microchips into people’s brains without their 
knowledge. “They,” by which she means the Deep State, or the 
good-old-boy network, used 5G to give her family COVID-19. “They” also 
rig the elections in Kansas.But what most people want to know about, she said, is how she can run in two states.Farr isn’t the first person to take advantage of language in the U.S.
 Constitution that says you can run for the House or Senate in any state
 where you have a residence, without limiting your options to a single 
state. If she happens to win both races, she would have to choose 
whether to represent Oklahoma or Kansas. Farr said she spends most of 
her time in Kansas, taking care of a family member at her Derby home.In addition to taking on the legal system, Farr wants to remove 
innocent people like herself from the “terrorist watchlist,” and she 
proposed a plan to help people get out of debt.The way Farr sees it, the biggest complaint Republicans have with 
Democrats is “they don’t want to work, blah, blah, blah.” So she tried 
to come up with a new idea for debt relief, based in part on 
conversations she had with students on college campuses.“I put it on social media,” Farr said, “and I just got hammered: 
‘You’re socialist. You’re communist.’ ‘What?’ I said. ‘For wanting to 
help people get out of debt because of COVID?’ That’s just crazy.”Her plan is a social compact: If you give up drugs, alcohol and 
social media for one year, a wealthy person will pay off up to $50,000 
of your debt. If elected, she promises to use her congressional salary 
to pay down people’s debt in this way.“It’s just an idea,” Farr said.Farr said she landed on the terrorist watchlist about 20 years ago 
after becoming involved in a legal fight over a real estate project. She
 said she previously worked as a police officer, and also worked in 
security and purchasing at Boeing.The Deep State took an interest in Farr, she believes, “because I 
speak out against them, and I don’t think they want Christian women in 
office. Pretty much, it appears to be good versus evil. I mean, look at 
what they did to Trump.”Being on the terrorist watchlist, she said, means they hack her 
phone, get into her computer and bank accounts, intercept her mail, and 
sabotage her campaigns.“They actually have CIA operatives posing as medical personnel in the
 hospital, to discreetly kill people,” Farr said. “And this went on way 
before COVID. I know, because it happened to me. So if you print 
anything, I would just ask that you not make me look like I’m crazy.”Farr said she printed her campaign flyers last August, long before 
the recent high-profile massacres at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school 
and a Buffalo, New York, supermarket.“Back then, it was a positive thing,” Farr said of the initial 
reception to her flyer. “Now, you know, my campaign card is out there, 
but of course we’ve had these shootings, which, I’m sorry, but a lot of 
these shootings, in my opinion, are staged. I mean, I could go into it, 
but these mass shootings are what is allowing the government to take 
away our guns or to revise gun laws. You understand what I’m saying?”The “common denominator” in mass shootings, Farr said, is that the 
shooter heard voices. That’s because “they” can implant a microchip from
 a satellite, allowing government operatives to talk to people.Farr said the operatives “get them involved in video games, violence,
 so that they’ll go shoot up: ‘Oh, you can do this. You can do just like
 this video game. Go shoot up the school. Go shoot up the theater.’ 
That’s what’s going on. A lot of people don’t want to believe that. 
‘They wouldn’t do that.’ Yes they would.”Farr shared her theory about mass shootings on her personal Facebook 
page in a May 26 post, two days after the Uvalde shooting. It was poorly
 received.Suzie Hartford-Bell responded:&nbsp;“Did you eat lead paint chips as a kid?”“Oh blame the deep state,” Hartford-Bell wrote. “Microchips from 
space? Omg it’s no wonder you think god is real. Mental Instability 
much! Holy cow I thought Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall were bad. You 
have crashed the crazy wagon and caught it on fire! What a loon!”“Wake up and smell the coffee gf,” Farr replied. “I’ll be praying for you.”Farr said she is challenging Moran in part because his office 
wouldn’t help her in an attempt to get a Medal of Honor for her father, 
who died while serving in Vietnam.She thinks she has a chance of competing with Moran, who has served 
in the U.S. Senate since 2011, after 14 years in the U.S. House.“If you notice, there’s no polls out there,” Farr said. “When they’re
 not showing any poll, that means they have internal polls but not 
publishing them. And so they must not look very good. And I’ve heard a 
lot of people say, in the Republican party, they want him out. So yeah, I
 think I have a chance to win.”

Opponent ready to ‘pull out all the stops’ in race against Moran

Sometimes on vacation trips I like to check out casinos. I always account for the money I wager in my budget, and I never spend more than I’ve allotted. How do you feel about gambling at a casino, as long as you limit your spending this way?

Ok, I’m going to be honest about this. When someone tells me they&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/sports-betting">gamble</a>&nbsp;for fun or recreation, my first thought is they’re crazy—crazy enough to think they’ll actually come out ahead. I mean, you might see a news story once in a while about someone winning big money in a casino, but that almost never happens. Think, too, about how much cash those folks flushed down the toilet previously while gambling. In reality, there’s a strong chance they didn’t really “win” anything. They probably just recouped a small portion of their previous, substantial losses.

I know, all this probably makes me sound old and out of touch. But I just don’t get the concept of gambling “for fun.” I don’t find it thrilling or exciting to lose money I’ve worked hard to earn, even if there’s flashing lights and a party going on. Don’t get me wrong, my wife and I include “fun money” in our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/guide-to-budgeting/Introduction">budget</a>&nbsp;every month and do things we enjoy. But, to each his own, I guess.&nbsp;

Still, my advice would be don’t waste your time and money on that stuff. One way or another, the house always wins. It’s your money, and you can what you want with it, Carson. But think about this: Why do most of the folks sitting at slot machines and card tables look like they can’t afford to lose money? The majority look desperate, some even angry, and that’s sad. I don’t know, maybe it’s the lighting or some other strange coincidence.

<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/">Dave Ramsey&nbsp;</a>is a seven-time #1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of&nbsp;The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. He&nbsp;has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648177011035.png" alt="Dave Ramsey" />
 <figcaption>Dave Ramsey</figcaption>
 </figure>Dear Dave,Sometimes on vacation trips I like to check out casinos. I always account for the money I wager in my budget, and I never spend more than I’ve allotted. How do you feel about gambling at a casino, as long as you limit your spending this way?CarsonDear Carson,Ok, I’m going to be honest about this. When someone tells me they&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/sports-betting">gamble</a>&nbsp;for fun or recreation, my first thought is they’re crazy—crazy enough to think they’ll actually come out ahead. I mean, you might see a news story once in a while about someone winning big money in a casino, but that almost never happens. Think, too, about how much cash those folks flushed down the toilet previously while gambling. In reality, there’s a strong chance they didn’t really “win” anything. They probably just recouped a small portion of their previous, substantial losses.I know, all this probably makes me sound old and out of touch. But I just don’t get the concept of gambling “for fun.” I don’t find it thrilling or exciting to lose money I’ve worked hard to earn, even if there’s flashing lights and a party going on. Don’t get me wrong, my wife and I include “fun money” in our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/guide-to-budgeting/Introduction">budget</a>&nbsp;every month and do things we enjoy. But, to each his own, I guess.&nbsp;Still, my advice would be don’t waste your time and money on that stuff. One way or another, the house always wins. It’s your money, and you can what you want with it, Carson. But think about this: Why do most of the folks sitting at slot machines and card tables look like they can’t afford to lose money? The majority look desperate, some even angry, and that’s sad. I don’t know, maybe it’s the lighting or some other strange coincidence.Yeah, I don’t think so.— Dave<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/">Dave Ramsey&nbsp;</a>is a seven-time #1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of&nbsp;The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. He&nbsp;has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

Dave Says: Doesn’t sound like fun to me!

BOULDER COUNTY, CO —The FBI and their evidence response team have joined Longmont Public Safety in the investigation of vandalism and fire at a Christian pregnancy center following Friday's Supreme Court ruling on abortion.

Just before 3:30a.m. Saturday Longmont Public Safety responded to a reported fire at Life Choices, 20 Mountain View Avenue in Longmont, according to a media release.

 The building sustained fire and heavy smoke damage. At the arrival of police and fire staff, the front of the property had been vandalized with black paint. This fire is being investigated as arson.&nbsp;

Investigators requested that those living between Collyer and Lashley (West and East) and 15th Avenue and 11th Avenue (North and South) check their surveillance video for any activity in the area between 2:45 am and 3:30 am. 

Public Safety also requests that anyone who can assist in identifying the individual(s) responsible please call (303)774-3700 and reference Longmont Police Report #22-5219.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656243498591.png" alt="Photo Longmont Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Longmont Police</figcaption>
 </figure>BOULDER COUNTY, CO —The FBI and their evidence response team have joined Longmont Public Safety in the investigation of vandalism and fire at a Christian pregnancy center following Friday's Supreme Court ruling on abortion.Just before 3:30a.m. Saturday Longmont Public Safety responded to a reported fire at Life Choices, 20 Mountain View Avenue in Longmont, according to a media release. The building sustained fire and heavy smoke damage. At the arrival of police and fire staff, the front of the property had been vandalized with black paint. This fire is being investigated as arson.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656243468720.png" alt="Photo Longmont Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Longmont Police</figcaption>
 </figure>Investigators requested that those living between Collyer and Lashley (West and East) and 15th Avenue and 11th Avenue (North and South) check their surveillance video for any activity in the area between 2:45 am and 3:30 am. Public Safety also requests that anyone who can assist in identifying the individual(s) responsible please call (303)774-3700 and reference Longmont Police Report #22-5219.

Vandalism, fire at Christian pregnancy center following Roe ruling

JEFFERSON COUNTY—A Kansas man died in an accident just after 9:30p.m. Saturday in Jefferson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Harley Davidson Fat Boy driven by Michael Arthur Greene, 57, Kansas City, Kansas, was eastbound on Kansas 16 just west of Wellman Road.

The driver failed to negotiate the curve to the south. The driver was thrown from the motorcycle and came to rest in the ditch. The motorcycle came to rest on the right side of the road.

Greene was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Barnett Family Mortuary in Oskaloosa. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

JEFFERSON COUNTY—A Kansas man died in an accident just after 9:30p.m. Saturday in Jefferson County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Harley Davidson Fat Boy driven by Michael Arthur Greene, 57, Kansas City, Kansas, was eastbound on Kansas 16 just west of Wellman Road.The driver failed to negotiate the curve to the south. The driver was thrown from the motorcycle and came to rest in the ditch. The motorcycle came to rest on the right side of the road.Greene was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Barnett Family Mortuary in Oskaloosa. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies after thrown from motorcycle

KANSAS CITY —A&nbsp; Kansas City man was sentenced Tuesday for the shooting in July 2020 of Sharon Heifer-Douglas who was riding an ATV in the area of East Red Bridge and Bennington, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

A Jackson County judge sentenced 39-year-old Glenn Darren Rucker to 20-years in prison on his conviction of Murder 2nd Degree and 20 years on his conviction of Armed Criminal Action. The sentences were set to run concurrently.

According to court records, Police found the victim in the roadway on Red Bridge Road in the evening of July 1, 2020. She had been shot multiple times. 

Witnesses told police that the woman was traveling on Red Bridge on an ATV, with her dog walking along side her in the grass. An SUV pulled along side and fired shots at her. 

A few days later, Kansas City police officers saw the vehicle and contacted Rucker. He was taken into custody. A handgun was found in the vehicle. An examination of the gun found that shell casings from the homicide scene were fired by that handgun. Detectives also discovered that the defendant called 911 the night of the shooting and stated he had shot a woman on her four-wheeler.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655926549070.png" alt="Rucker-photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Rucker-photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A&nbsp; Kansas City man was sentenced Tuesday for the shooting in July 2020 of Sharon Heifer-Douglas who was riding an ATV in the area of East Red Bridge and Bennington, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.A Jackson County judge sentenced 39-year-old Glenn Darren Rucker to 20-years in prison on his conviction of Murder 2nd Degree and 20 years on his conviction of Armed Criminal Action. The sentences were set to run concurrently.According to court records, Police found the victim in the roadway on Red Bridge Road in the evening of July 1, 2020. She had been shot multiple times. Witnesses told police that the woman was traveling on Red Bridge on an ATV, with her dog walking along side her in the grass. An SUV pulled along side and fired shots at her. A few days later, Kansas City police officers saw the vehicle and contacted Rucker. He was taken into custody. A handgun was found in the vehicle. An examination of the gun found that shell casings from the homicide scene were fired by that handgun. Detectives also discovered that the defendant called 911 the night of the shooting and stated he had shot a woman on her four-wheeler.

Kansas City man called 911 to report he killed woman riding an ATV

NEMAHA COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon for alleged child sex crimes.

According to online jail records, 28-year-old Joseph Keehn of Havensville was booked into the Nemaha County Jail this week on a Nemaha County Warrant for Sexual Exploitation Of A Child.

He has previous convictions for theft, aggravated assault, marijuana possession and for obstruction, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections

Keehn remains in custody on a $50,000 bond, according to online records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655996182887.png" alt="Keehn has previous convictions for theft, aggravated assault, marijuana possession and for obstruction, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Keehn has previous convictions for theft, aggravated assault, marijuana possession and for obstruction, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>NEMAHA COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon for alleged child sex crimes.According to online jail records, 28-year-old Joseph Keehn of Havensville was booked into the Nemaha County Jail this week on a Nemaha County Warrant for Sexual Exploitation Of A Child.He has previous convictions for theft, aggravated assault, marijuana possession and for obstruction, according to the Kansas Dept. of CorrectionsKeehn remains in custody on a $50,000 bond, according to online records.

Sheriff: Kansas felon accused of child sex crimes

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision allowing states to ban abortion stirred alarm Friday among LGBTQ advocates, who feared that the ruling could someday allow a rollback of legal protections for gay relationships, including the right for same-sex couples to marry.

In the court’s majority opinion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision,</a>&nbsp;Justice Samuel Alito said the decision applied only to abortion. But critics of the court’s conservative majority gave the statement no credence.

“I don’t buy that at all,” said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of medicine at Georgetown University and faculty director of its Institute for National and Global Health Law. “It really is much more extreme than the justices are making it out to be.”

He added: “It means that you can’t look to the Supreme Court as an impartial arbiter of constitutional rights because they’re acting more as culture warriors.”

Gostin and others pointed to a separate concurring opinion in which Justice Clarence Thomas said the court should review other precedents, including its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage, a 2003 decision striking down laws criminalizing gay sex and a 1965 decision declaring that married couples have a right to use contraception.

“Today is about this horrifying invasion of privacy that this court is now allowing, and when we lose one right that we have relied on and enjoyed, other rights are at risk,” said Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, who is now running as a Democrat for the Ohio House.

Abortion opponents celebrated the potential for states to ban abortion after nearly 50 years of being prevented from doing so. Some argued that the case did not have implications beyond that, noting Alito’s words.

“And to ensure that our decision is not misunderstood or mischaracterized, we emphasize that our decision concerns the constitutional right to abortion and no other right,” Alito wrote. “Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion.”

Kristen Waggoner, legal director for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which helped defend the Mississippi abortion law at issue in the ruling, said the high court’s decision makes it clear that “the taking of human life is unlike any other issue.” She said raising other issues shows the weakness of critics’ arguments about abortion.

Still, said Paul Dupont, a spokesman for the conservative anti-abortion American Principles Project, conservatives are optimistic about the potential for future victories on cultural issues, though getting more states to ban abortion is “a huge enough battle.”

“If there is a thought that this could apply elsewhere, you know, they’re not going to say it here, and we’re just going to have to see,” Dupont said.

Other factors could protect those rulings on birth control and LGBTQ rights, too. The Obergefell decision that legalized same-sex marriage was based on equal protection, and hundreds of thousands of couples have relied on it to wed, a precedent that many courts would be loath to disturb.

Still, a sharp increase in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in the U.S. and opposition to specific kinds of birth control on the right have advocates concerned that those rights are vulnerable.

The possibility worried some of the scores of people at a Friday evening abortion-rights rally outside the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka. including Rija Nazir, a 21-year-old community organizer from Wichita for a voting-rights group.

She wore a pink cowboy hat festooned with a button featuring a “cowboy uterus” drawing for a “Vote Neigh” campaign against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-legislature-constitutions-kansas-topeka-2b65563a5637dda6d6707822154dece5">an anti-abortion measure</a>&nbsp;on the statewide ballot Aug. 2.

“They’re going to go for LGBTQ rights first and then same-sex marriage next. Who knows? Maybe interracial marriage, birth control,” Nazir said. “They’re not going to stop at abortion.”

Some abortion opponents treat some forms of contraception as forms of abortion, particularly IUDs and emergency birth control such as Plan B, also known as the “morning after” pill. Lawmakers in Idaho and Missouri last year discussed banning state funding for emergency contraception, and Idaho prevents public schools or universities from dispersing it.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656175440177.png" alt="Abortion rights protesters in Kansas City on Friday night -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Abortion rights protesters in Kansas City on Friday night -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision allowing states to ban abortion stirred alarm Friday among LGBTQ advocates, who feared that the ruling could someday allow a rollback of legal protections for gay relationships, including the right for same-sex couples to marry.In the court’s majority opinion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision,</a>&nbsp;Justice Samuel Alito said the decision applied only to abortion. But critics of the court’s conservative majority gave the statement no credence.“I don’t buy that at all,” said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of medicine at Georgetown University and faculty director of its Institute for National and Global Health Law. “It really is much more extreme than the justices are making it out to be.”He added: “It means that you can’t look to the Supreme Court as an impartial arbiter of constitutional rights because they’re acting more as culture warriors.”Gostin and others pointed to a separate concurring opinion in which Justice Clarence Thomas said the court should review other precedents, including its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage, a 2003 decision striking down laws criminalizing gay sex and a 1965 decision declaring that married couples have a right to use contraception.“Today is about this horrifying invasion of privacy that this court is now allowing, and when we lose one right that we have relied on and enjoyed, other rights are at risk,” said Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, who is now running as a Democrat for the Ohio House.Abortion opponents celebrated the potential for states to ban abortion after nearly 50 years of being prevented from doing so. Some argued that the case did not have implications beyond that, noting Alito’s words.“And to ensure that our decision is not misunderstood or mischaracterized, we emphasize that our decision concerns the constitutional right to abortion and no other right,” Alito wrote. “Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion.”Kristen Waggoner, legal director for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which helped defend the Mississippi abortion law at issue in the ruling, said the high court’s decision makes it clear that “the taking of human life is unlike any other issue.” She said raising other issues shows the weakness of critics’ arguments about abortion.Still, said Paul Dupont, a spokesman for the conservative anti-abortion American Principles Project, conservatives are optimistic about the potential for future victories on cultural issues, though getting more states to ban abortion is “a huge enough battle.”“If there is a thought that this could apply elsewhere, you know, they’re not going to say it here, and we’re just going to have to see,” Dupont said.Other factors could protect those rulings on birth control and LGBTQ rights, too. The Obergefell decision that legalized same-sex marriage was based on equal protection, and hundreds of thousands of couples have relied on it to wed, a precedent that many courts would be loath to disturb.Still, a sharp increase in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in the U.S. and opposition to specific kinds of birth control on the right have advocates concerned that those rights are vulnerable.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656105291910.png" alt="Protests on Friday at the U.S. Supreme Court -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Protests on Friday at the U.S. Supreme Court -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>The possibility worried some of the scores of people at a Friday evening abortion-rights rally outside the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka. including Rija Nazir, a 21-year-old community organizer from Wichita for a voting-rights group.She wore a pink cowboy hat festooned with a button featuring a “cowboy uterus” drawing for a “Vote Neigh” campaign against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-legislature-constitutions-kansas-topeka-2b65563a5637dda6d6707822154dece5">an anti-abortion measure</a>&nbsp;on the statewide ballot Aug. 2.“They’re going to go for LGBTQ rights first and then same-sex marriage next. Who knows? Maybe interracial marriage, birth control,” Nazir said. “They’re not going to stop at abortion.”Some abortion opponents treat some forms of contraception as forms of abortion, particularly IUDs and emergency birth control such as Plan B, also known as the “morning after” pill. Lawmakers in Idaho and Missouri last year discussed banning state funding for emergency contraception, and Idaho prevents public schools or universities from dispersing it.“It’s all interconnected, because at its base, birth control and abortion are both types of health care that help people have bodily autonomy,” said Mara Gandal-Powers, director of birth control access for the National Women’s Law Center, which supports abortion rights. “I’m very concerned about where this is going to go.”The Supreme Court’s three most liberal members argued that the majority decision “breaches a core rule-of-law principle, designed to promote constancy in the law” and “places in jeopardy” other rights.At the White House, President Joe Biden pledged to do everything in his power to defend a woman’s right to have an abortion in states where it will be banned. He warned that the ruling could undermine rights to contraception and gay marriage: “This is an extreme and dangerous path.”Then there is Thomas’ concurring opinion, which Sarah Warbelow, legal director for the pro-LGBTQ-rights Human Rights Campaign, called an invitation for “stirring up fringe organizations, fringe politicians who want to harm the LGBTQ community.”“There are clearly members of the court who have an outdated notion of what America looks like today and have a fantasy of returning to their painted idealism of a 1940s, 1950s America, certainly not what it really was in the 1940s and ’50s,” she said. “And that is terrifying.”Jason Pierceson, a University of Illinois political scientist, said he doesn’t see the conservative majority stopping with abortion.“They are sending signals to the conservative legal movement, which has a lot of momentum right now because of this victory, to keep going and to keep bringing cases to them over the next several years that will give them opportunities to go further,” Pierceson said.Jennifer Pizer, acting chief legal officer for the LGBTQ-rights group Lambda Legal, added: “It is an extremist assault on the privacy, self-determination, dignity and equality of every person in our country.”___