Playin' in the bands

So my upstairs neighbor is now playing the radio all day to keep her dog calmed down, which is fine -- but does it have to be 104.1, the chick-rock station? Maybe she thinks the Dave Matthews Band will make Marley, her growing male black Lab, a quieter, more sensitive dog -- and it is true that Marley's been neutered, so perhaps DMB is appropo. But really, I think black Labs should listen to classic rock stations, or edgy alternative at the least. I may have to talk to her about this ...

Sen. Sam Brownback spoke to a largely pro-life crowd in West Virginia yesterday. Without much of a reelection campaign, Brownback has the ability to go nationwide with social conservatives, which is exactly what he did in the key swing state.

Brownback spoke in favor of adult stem cell research.

"With adult stem cells, 54 human maladies are being cured. One cup of fat has six million stem cells. Praise God, he's given us a beautiful answer. Why are we pursuing these things that destroy life," Brownback said.

The Jim Ryun-Nancy Boyda race is turning uglier, according to the Pittsburg paper. Ryun lamented the tone the race has taken while defending an ad he's running accusing Boyda of organizing anti-war protests.

"She has been attacking me from the first day. She has been very aggressive...," Ryun said. "She has been very negative for quite some time. It's unfortunate because it would be nice if we could just stay on the issues, but she has made it very apparent that she doesn't want to stay there."

While Kris Kobach and Dennis Moore prep for three debates, Kobach held a rock rally in Olathe.

And finally, for the latest in the litany of commentaries on Thomas Frank's "What's the Matter With Kansas," here's a Hillboro Free Press perspective.