Andanh.com

The gun lobby has finally won its dream ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, but could this be just the breakthrough that can finally lead to sensible gun control?

Going beyond even what the Bush administration had asked of it, a 5-4 majority of the justices held that "the right to bear arms" is a personal right and not, as federal courts largely have ruled since 1939, a provisional right pegged to maintaining public safety.

Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia argued that the Constitution's Second Amendment asserts "the right of law-abiding, responsible citizens to use arms in defense of hearth and home."

It is hard to imagine that the Founding Fathers intended to be the willing armorers of urban gang warfare. But so it goes. The court has ruled. That's that.

In quashing the District of Columbia's near-total ban on handguns, the court has kicked over a hornets' nest of litigation. The National Rifle Association already has filed a challenge to Chicago's similarly, if not quite comparably, stringent restrictions. Lawsuits against New York City and San Francisco seem certain.

I want to applaud the public interest that has followed the Old Town Warren Theatre owners' request for a $6 million loan to fund improvements to their theater in Old Town Square. Public feedback is essential to our democracy and to this council's decision-making process.

But at the end of the day -- after the citizens have spoken and after city staff has done its due diligence -- the members of the Wichita City Council are the seven people who were elected and entrusted to make such decisions.

A primary responsibility of the council is economic development -- the fiscal duty of using public resources to support local businesses, create jobs and improve the quality of life of Wichitans. To meet those goals, this city government and municipal governments across the country employ various economic development tools. Economic development is proven public policy.

The $6 million Warren Theatre loan embraces that tradition of proven public policy. It is targeted economic development. It enhances our community goal of continuing downtown revitalization efforts.

The Warren loan represents a sound investment in Wichita's premier entertainment district, the city's top destination spot that has enjoyed national recognition and top planning awards.

In keeping with his messiah image, Barack Obama might have been more at home in Bethlehem, Pa., than in Unity, N.H., when he and his "former" nemesis, Hillary Clinton, opened their new act on the road to mixed reviews.

We are supposed to forget everything they said about each other during the primaries. They didn't really mean it; or did they? This is why so many people are cynical about politicians. You never know if they are telling you what you want to hear, or what they hope you'll swallow in spite of evidence to the contrary.

As recently as late February, Hillary Clinton told "The 700 Club" that the "phenomenon" associated with Obama's candidacy "dangerously oversimplifies the complexity of the problems we face, the challenge of navigating our country through some difficult, uncharted waters." Has Obama become a ship's captain in so short a time?

In March on CNN's "Newsroom," Clinton questioned Obama's readiness to be commander in chief. She said she and Sen. John McCain had crossed "the commander in chief threshold.... You will have to ask Sen. Obama with respect to his candidacy." Is he now suddenly ready?

On MSNBC's "Hardball," Clinton mocked Obama for arguing that "living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face big, complex, international challenges the next president will face."