Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Fanatical Phill
Just hours after he was sworn in a prosecuting attorney in Johnson County, Phill Kline fired seven prosecutors and a chief investigator. Now those employees have filed suit.
As attorney general, fanatical Phill flouted the law. He used his office to pursue a personal crusade against abortion providers in Kansas, and he met behind closed doors -- in violation of state sunshine laws -- with creationists on the state school board to advise them on their plan to salt the science curriculum with far-right religious objections to evolution.
As a result, the voters of Kansas threw him out of office after just one term.
After his defeat in the November election, a small group of far-right Republican activists voted to appoint Kline, to the horror of voters in Johnson County, to serve out the term of Paul Morrison, the man who defeated him for attorney general.
Within hours of his appointment, Kline's pattern of contempt for the law, rules of procedure, and fair play was demonstrated yet again. When the fired employees filed grievances, Kline told county commissioners he wouldn't participate in hearings on those grievances.
In a letter sent to commissioners Friday, Kline said he's not bound by a county’s personnel policies or rules.
Fanatical Phill seems determined that his career in Johnson County will be even shorter than his one term as attorney general. How long it will take Johnson Countians to repair the damage is another question.
As attorney general, fanatical Phill flouted the law. He used his office to pursue a personal crusade against abortion providers in Kansas, and he met behind closed doors -- in violation of state sunshine laws -- with creationists on the state school board to advise them on their plan to salt the science curriculum with far-right religious objections to evolution.
As a result, the voters of Kansas threw him out of office after just one term.
After his defeat in the November election, a small group of far-right Republican activists voted to appoint Kline, to the horror of voters in Johnson County, to serve out the term of Paul Morrison, the man who defeated him for attorney general.
Within hours of his appointment, Kline's pattern of contempt for the law, rules of procedure, and fair play was demonstrated yet again. When the fired employees filed grievances, Kline told county commissioners he wouldn't participate in hearings on those grievances.
In a letter sent to commissioners Friday, Kline said he's not bound by a county’s personnel policies or rules.
Fanatical Phill seems determined that his career in Johnson County will be even shorter than his one term as attorney general. How long it will take Johnson Countians to repair the damage is another question.
