News-Star Blogs

Abilene, Kansas, will be the site of a major celebration of the 65th Anniversary of the Allied invasion of France in World War II called D-Day on June 5 – 7. Abilene isn’t the only site of a celebration. The French will also be celebrating.

Abilene is the home of the Dwight Eisenhower museum. Gen. Eisenhower was in charge of the invasion and had to make the fateful decision to go ahead even though the weather wasn’t ideal.

The invasion began shortly after midnight on June, 6, 1944, with paratroopers jumping into the area behind the beach. At 6:30 British time the landing of 160,000 troops began. 195,000 Allied Navy and merchant marines operating 5,000 ships supported the landing. The operation was touch and go for awhile, but some units got off the beach and led the way inland.

The Abilene celebration will involve various living history groups and include a weekend long camp showing how troops lived in the field. Displays will include a Sherman tank and a C-47 Gooney Bird aircraft. Various women will walk around wearing fashions from the period and music from the period will be played. A Veterans Salute Parade will move through downtown Abilene.

For many veterans of that invasion, this year may be their last opportunity to celebrate.

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The reality TV show Jon and Kate plus 8 may be hitting its highest ratings yet. However, the success of the show is being countered by the crumbling of a marriage. Not a very good trade if you ask me.

Now, I fully admit that I am not a rabid J&K fan. Yes, I’ve seen my fair share of episodes but I haven’t seen every single one. In fact, I stopped watching regularly a year or two ago. I was getting irritated with Kate’s increasing bitchiness towards Jon. Sure, he sometimes deserved it. Even so, it was hard to see that poor man go through the equivalent of a verbal neutering every time Kate spoke to him.

The clash of parenting styles was inevitable. From Jon’s “laid back, permissive, it’s all good” way of parenting to Kate’s “super structured, disciplined” order of things – it was clear these two would have to find a large middle ground in order to raise their children in a safe and nurturing environment.

Last week’s series premiere was a hot commodity for the ratings. Millions tuned in to see the two these two reality tv starts discuss their marriage woes. Jon and Kate didn’t even appear on camera together until the very end, and their few minutes together were painful, forced, and agonizing.

As many fans and critics bicker back and forth about who is the blame for the failed marriage – Jon, Kate, the stress of multiples, or even the stress from being a reality TV family – I think they are missing the bigger point. This family is suffering. They are at crisis. It really doesn’t matter who is to blame. All tht really matters is where do they go from here. Can the marriage be saved? Can the family be saved?

I guess only time will tell the fate of Jon and Kate and their eight children. There is always time to make a better decision, and I do believe Jon and Kate can come together and save their family. I’m just not sure that Jon wants to. At the end of the interview during the season premiere, the show’s producer asked them “where they are now” in regards to their marriage.

Kate’s answer: I’m here. I’ve been here, and I’m still here.
Jon’s answer: I’m here for my kids.

Maybe Kate needs to learn how to treat Jon with more respect. Maybe Jon needs to realize that he made a commitment to not only his wife but also his children, and he doesn’t get to simply choose to abandon that commitment because the mood strikes. There are a lot of maybe’s in there. But one thing is for certain – it’s time to turn off the cameras and focus on saving their family. Right now, nothing else matters. Not the new fancy house, the private organic chef, or the new cars. The only thing that matters is saving their family.

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I love happy hours and daily specials. I sure am missing half price burgers at Rainbow on Mondays, I hope they can one day bring that back! And does anybody remember paying less than $5 for a brown bag special at Sonic? I’m going to share a few of my favorites deals here in Shawnee.
#1 Happy hours in Sonic are half price drinks and slushes. are between 2-4pm daily.
#2 Happy hours at Arby’s are after 7pm daily with half price drinks and shakes.
#3 Family day at Delta Cafe is on Saturdays 11am-4pm with $1.99 kids meals and a free blue snowflake shake for kids 12 and under.

If there are any other good deals or specials, please share!

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I just recently commented for the first time to the “opinion”? section of the news-star. I am sick to death of all of the lefties and righties that comment on this paper. I suggested that it might me a good idea for Howard or Joe to rent a venue that we might have a town hall to discuss our diferences in a civil manner. I am sick of the name calling and bantering that goes on, on these boards. T&P I feel you my brother. My name is ********, I am starting the Shawnee, OK Militia (SOKM). Give me a call at ***-****. Talk to you soon.

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Unless social conservatives were responsible for Sen. John McCain getting the nomination instead of a Washington outsider like Gov. Mike Huckabee or Gov. Mitt Romney,  they were not responsible for the GOP loss  of the presidency.

McCain lost because he had the disadvantage of being a Senator and a member of the incumbents  party when the economy was going the wrong way.  It was natural for voters to think  McCain would continue Bush’s  economic policies.

An  outsider might have been able to avoid being held responsible for the economy, particularly running against an incumbent Senator.  A Republican governor could have run against both the president and the Congress by blaming both for the economy.

Many political analysts ignore the fact that most voters base their votes on issues other than social issues like abortion.  Most voters are more interested in issues such as  economic policy, foreign policy or crime.

Of the voters who consider abortion an important issue, most who support abortion would likely vote for Democrats anyway.  Many of those who oppose abortion are more inclined to the Democratic positions on economic issues, particularly with a bad economy.  Many conservative leaders  were complaining before the election that Barack Obama was attempting to convince social conservatives he wouldn’t make that many changes.

Without the social conservatives, John McCain would have lost by an even bigger margin.  If Republicans want to improve their chances of winning they need to find more appealing positions on economic issues.

A Democratic victory may have been inevitable considering that  since the Depression every president has been succeeded by his vice president or someone from another party.  And, only one vice president, George H. W. Bush, succeeded through election instead of through the death or resignation of the president.   Bush’s victory might not be that significant considering that from 1840 through 1980 every president who won an election in a year ending in zero was succeeded by his vice president.

In fact only three presidents who won an election in a year ending in  zero were not succeeded by their vice presidents.  George W. Bush is the first since James Monroe ( reelected in 1820) who wasn’t succeeded by his vice president.  Thomas Jefferson  was the other president whose vice president didn’t succeed him.

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