In the past few weeks a Kansas Congressional candidate -
Nancy Boyda of Topeka, has been attacking 2nd District Congressman and Olympic Miler
Jim Ryun on his support, participation, or knowledge of the
NAFTA SuperHighway.
This might look like an every day campaign attack - but this time it's different.
Rather than denying his support or claiming Mrs. Boyda doesn't have all the facts, the Congressman is claiming that the project doesn't even exist.
Topeka Capitol Journal Blog has even got in on the action asking Kansans which candidate they believe. So how _do_ you play Chicken with a Congressman??
Boyda began her education to the district on Aug 11th with a press conference complete with charts, graphs, and maps of the proposed SuperHighway that would stretch from Mexico, through Texas and Oklahoma and rest at a new
Customs like building in Kansas City. The SuperHighway other activists in Texas have coined as
Bin Laden Boulevard would, as Boyda claims,
"blow a quarter-mile-wide hole in the border Lawrence Journal World... This corridor straight into our heartland will be a gift to terrorists. Lawrence Journal World"
Boyda has gone so far as to post her own political cartoon on her website - alluding that the Congressman is being influenced by various interest groups. What I think this unintentionally alluds to voters is that Rep. Ryun is clearly "out to lunch" on the issue of the SuperHighway:
Download Flier Here
Boyda and Ryan went after each other in a
televised debate where Ryun said publicly that the whole story/issue was made up - invented, created by bloggers and internet conspires.
There was indeed an internet article about this issue that you can find over at the
WorldNetDaily where Joseph Farah continues to keep tabs on
Kansas Politicians who are coming to the aid of Rep. Ryun.
But, the most interesting, in my mind, is a recent editorial in the
Topeka Capitol Journal where a gentleman named Ken Miller claims he is the former executive director of North America's Super Corridor Coalition.
Mr. Miller attacks Boyda using the talking points in true form claiming that this whole issue is a rumor - a conspiracy - and that Mrs. Boyda was duped by these silly issues.
"Neither NASCO nor any other public/private organization has the power to decide what transportation improvements are funded. Those decisions are made by the respective state departments of transportation, and are funded in large part by the federal government." Miller said.
This is a rather interesting statement to make. Given previous statements by Mr. Miller on his college alumni page. Yes, that's right... we googled Mr. Miller to find out who this guy is. We meaning my cat and I - it isn't a high tech operation over here in the sooner state.
It seems Mr. Miller went to Indiana University and was a Journalism Major who graduated in 1985. According to the Indiana Alumni paragraph on Miller located at:
http://www.journalism.indiana.edu/...
Ken Miller, BA'85, is executive director for North America's Superhighway Coalition Inc. in Kansas City, Mo. NASCO is a not-for-profit grassroots lobbying group that promotes interstates 35, 29 and 94 as the premier routes for North American trade. Since 1999, the coalition has secured more than $20 million in federal funding to improve transportation infrastructure and technology along those highways. Miller also wrote a story titled "North America's Superhighway," published in Transportation and Distribution magazine in January 2001...."
(ed note: please let me know if the link disappears for whatever reason... I have screen caps)
I'm young... and I don't really know a lot about this issue but it seems to me that if
"NASCO nor any other public/private organization has the power to decide what transportation improvements are funded"
as Mr. Miller claimed in his letter to the editor - how is it exactly that NASCO has - as a lobbying group - been in the unique position to obtain $20 million in federal funding
"to improve transpiration infrastructure and technology along side those (35, 29, 94) highways"
as Mr. Miller claimed a few years ago in his Indiana University Alumni bio.
Is it possible that Mr. Miller was beefing himself up to his classmates and now is singing another tune? Or is it possible that Mr. Miller is the top dog in a cover-up to the Kansas Rep.?
Visit Nancy Boyda at http://www.nancyforcongress.com to keep updated on this new episode of Congressional Chicken. Next week perhaps we'll profile something in my own state!