Emery hearing set for Monday

Rep. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, is scheduled to appear in Lawrence County Circuit Court Monday to face a charge of failure to drive on the right half of the roadway, according to court records.
The hearing had originally been scheduled for April 6, but was delayed after a motion for continuance was filed by Emery's former House colleague, Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon, who said Emery needed to be in Jefferson City for his work in the state legislature.
The charges were filed following a 2:20 p.m. Feb 3 two-car accident on Highway 96 two miles south of Miller. Emery and a woman in the other car suffered minor injuries, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol report.

8th Circuit Appeals Court dismisses Lindstedt appeal

Accused child molester Martin Lindstedt's losing streak continued today as the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed his appeal in his lawsuit against Governor Matt Blunt.
In a one-paragraph opinion, the panel brushed aside Lindstedt's claims that U. S. District Court Judge Richard Dorr had abused his discretion when he bounced the perennial candidate's lawsuit. Lindstedt, who currently is awaiting trial in Newton County Circuit Court on felony statutory sodomy charges, has run for everything from East Newton R-6 Board of Education to U. S. Senate.
It was during his race for governor in 2004 that Blunt, a primary opponent and also secretary of state at that time, refused to allow Lindstedt to use the nickname "Mad Dog" on the ballot and also refused to provide a link to Lindstedt's website, due to its racist content.
In his lawsuit, Lindstedt asked that Blunt be forced to use the nickname Matt "Runt" Blunt on the November 2004 ballot. For some reason, the judge did not go along with this idea.
After Lindstedt's initial lawsuit was tossed out, he has tried multiple times to get the judge to overturn the decision, but he has not been exactly the sole of discretion in his efforts nor has he remained peaceful during his all-expenses paid stay in Newton County facilities.
In a letter to Neosho Forums, Lindstedt said the actions taken against him by Newton County officials have made the county "a prime target for biological warfare."He also says, "I don't build bombs. I build bombers. Not just one or two bombers. And not armed with just one little truck bomb. I build bombers who know how to make their own biological weaponry and who do not get caught."
As you might expect, Lindstedt's legal exploits are being footed by the taxpayers.

Skelton speaks out on Iraq war

Fourth District Congressman Ike Skelton spoke on the House floor Thursday about his feelings concerning the way the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been conducted. The text of his statement is printed below:

This is an important issue for so many Americans across the country, including my home state of Missouri. So many families such as mine have young people in uniform, but this resolution before us today is not what we requested, nor is it what we were told we'd have before us to debate. We expected a resolution confined to the country of Iraq and the conflict there. That is not what this resolution is. This resolution covers the entire Middle East waterfront, trying to blend together the Iraqi war and the war against terrorism, which has its genesis in Afghanistan.

Mr. Speaker, these are two separate and distinct wars. We did the right thing going into Afghanistan, topping the Taliban, which supported and protected the Al Qaeda terrorists. Then came along the international discussion about Iraq, Saddam Hussein and the weapons of mass destruction.

At that time, Mr. Speaker, knowing the history and culture of the Middle East, I sent two letters to the President, one dated September 4, 2002 and another dated March 18, 2003, before we went into Iraq. My letters warned against the aftermath. He sent over officials from the Department of Defense and the National Security Council to say to me, "Ike it'll be alright."

We know what happened in the aftermath because; we allowed the looting, we sent the Iraqi army home rather than give them a paycheck and a shovel, and we didn't have enough troops to quell any insurgency, and it arose.

Here we are some three years later. Despite the fact that this resolution is a broad one, let's talk about Iraq, which should be the complete subject of the resolution before us.

This nation is at a strategic crossroads. We are spending $9 billion a month and have spent over $300 billion total on this war. More strikingly, we are losing a battalion's worth of casualties a month, killed and injured, between Iraq and Afghanistan, by far most of them, sadly, are in Iraq. And there are increasing insurgent-inspired attacks.

Now what makes this resolution so interesting is the fact that it flies in the face of the law that we passed here in the Congress and the president signed. The defense bill of 2005 said this "calendar year 2006 should be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty, with Iraqi security forces taking the lead for the security of a free and sovereign Iraq, thereby creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq." That's what the defense bill said last June, thereby creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of U.S. forces.

What does this mean to us in the long run? Well, farmers in Missouri know that the quality of this year's seed corn will determine the quality of next year's corn crop. And I am concerned that we are eating our military's seed corn in Iraq.

It means that by tearing up the equipment...and we are using equipment right and left...it's going to take at least two years of supplemental funding to refurbish Army equipment if the war were to stop today. There are challenges in recruiting and retention, but I have to tell you how proud I am of those young people in uniform today. But if we don't give serious thought to the phraseology that's in the law "creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of forced from Iraq," I think that we may be eating our military's seed corn.

What does this mean? It means that America will be less prepared to either deter or defend an attack that might come at some future date. This is serious business. We need to remain strong militarily as the way to deter problems. Should North Korea, somewhere in Asia, somewhere in Latin America, somewhere in Africa, cause us to be involved. The question is, Mr. Speaker, would we be prepared militarily to meet that challenge.

That's why it's very important to do our very best to take seriously the law regarding significant transition this year. What will it take? Will it take the Iraqi government to stand up on its own? To transfer the security problem and situation to their police force and their military? We have some 250,000 Iraqi military and police fully trained or nearly fully trained. We have to hand the baton over to them.

We as a country cannot determine the fate of Iraq. The Iraqis have to do it themselves - their own government, their own military, and their own police force. We can be of help, we have been of help. We have been there some 3 years. I think it's time for us to seriously look at where we are, where we're going, and do our very best to keep ourselves militarily strong so that those days that are bound to happen never do.

Mr. Speaker, let me remind Congress, I've been here 29+ years, thanks to wonderful folks in Missouri. During that time we have had ten military confrontations with other countries. The future may hold something similar. The question is, "will we be militarily prepared when the time comes?"

Iraq needs to be looked at in the light of the law we passed last year, "calendar year 2006 should be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty, with Iraqi security forces taking the lead for the security of a free and sovereign Iraq, thereby creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq."

That's the law Congress passed, and the President signed. That's where we are. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to enter my letters of September 4, 2002 and March 18, 2006 into the record.

With that, I yield back my time.

Messenger: Blunt spokesman should apologize

Springfield News-Leader Editorial Page Editor Tony Messenger said he did not agree with former Governor Roger Wilson's statement that Governor Blunt's spokesman Spence Jackson should resign after comparing Democratic blogger Roy Temple to Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh...but Messenger does believe an apology is in order.
Though I suppose you have to admire the governor for his loyalty, Spence Jackson has been the source of one embarrassment after another to the Blunt administration. When I see official news releases from the governor's office that are nothing more than partisan rants (and poorly written ones at that), I have to wonder at the governor's judgment in keeping him in his current position.

Gannett declines comment on interest in Tribune newspapers

Officials of Gannett, the media giant that owns, among other properties, the Springfield News-Leader and USA Today, refused to comment Thursday on whether it had any interest in buying Tribune Company newspapers if they are put on the market.
That possibility has been created by a letter written by members of the Chandler family, former owners of the Los Angeles Times, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission which said the breakup of Tribune Company was necessary.

McCaskill: Employers who hire illegals should pay

Democratic Senatorial candidate Claire McCaskill tackled the immigration headon during a campaign stop in Springfield Thursday, saying employers who hire illegals should have to pay.

"We need tougher border security. We need to prosecute illegal immigrants," McCaskill said as she stood before the federal courthouse.

"But we also need to attack the problem at the source, a true crackdown on the corporations ... that employ these workers for cheap labor," she said.

If illegal immigrants don't have jobs, they won't have any reason to stay in the U.S., McCaskill said.

'Natural Disaster' guitarist publishes book

It's a rule. If you're going to be in Natural Disaster, our 1950s/60s rock-country band,you have to have a book published.
Not really, but those interested in Neosho history might want to pick up our lead guitarist Mark McClintock's latest book, "McClintock Markets," a history of his family's long ownership of Neosho grocery stores. The book is packed with information and photos about McClintock's IGA, which was a staple of Newton County life for more than half a century.
The books are available at Books & Java on tne Neosho square or from the author.

Belated happy birthday to former Press reporter

I'm a day late, but happy birthday to former Carthage Press Lifestyles Editor Stacy Rector. Stacy was a high school senior when she began working for The Press back in 1997.
She was instrumental in the beginning of Teen Tuesday, a section we ran each week that was devoted to news about the younger set. Teen Tuesday went on to win the Missouri Press Association's award for Best Community Service the following year and Stacy became the youngest reporter in MPA history to receive a first place award when her profile of a teen mother at Carthage Senior High School earned the top award in the Best Feature Story category.
Stacy lives in Texas now and was married to Kevin Willingham in April, therefore, the first Turner Report wedding photo accompanies this post.

Veteran AP newsman Stevens elected to Hall of Fame

When a reporter believes he has a scoop, a bit of paranoia sneaks in.
That was the case in 1994, when an source confirmed something I had been anticipating for quite a while. It was about 9:30 a.m. and we had a noon deadline at The Carthage Press when I received a phone call from a woman in Lamar telling me that several women who were either employees or former employees at Barton County Memorial Hospital were suing the administrator for sexual harassment.
Unfortunately, the case had been filed in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri at Kansas City and this was years before these cases would become easily accessible. I knew if I waited the few days it would take to get the file, the Joplin Globe or the Lamar Democrat would beat me to the story.
The Press' Publisher, Jim Farley, suggested that I call Paul Stevens, the director of the Missouri Associated Press office in Kansas City. "He can get it for you," Jim said. I was skeptical.
I shouldn't have been.
All it took was one quick phone call. Paul Stevens had a reporter pick up a copy of the petition, faxed it to me by 11:30 a.m. and 20 minutes later, The Press had the story for that day's edition.
As it turns out, I needn't have worried about getting scooped by the Globe, since the Globe never picked up on the story, while the Press investigation later unearthed a long history of sexual harassment in the administrator's past and led to his dismissal and to a $369,000 settlement with the women. The Lamar Democrat didn't begin running articles on the situation until it was almost over.
It didn't matter. The reason we were able to provide a story that was important to the Lamar area on a timely basis was because Paul Stevens did whatever he could to make sure his AP clients were well provided for.
So I was pleased this morning to read that Stevens will be one of four people inducted into the Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame in September. I can't think of anyone more deserving.

Ryan found guilty in Lamar Heights murder

A Cedar County jury took slightly over an hour to find Jim Edward Ryan guilty in the 2005 murder of his brother-in-law John Kullie in Lamar Heights.
Find out more in reporter Jeff Lehr's account from the Joplin Globe.