The Kansas City Star reports that Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri (located in the KCMO Metro area) received good news last week when it learned that the 15-member Grand Jury panel had unanimously refused to issue any indictments against them which had been sought by Republican District Attorney Phill Kline and his minions. The Grand Jury also told District Judge Kevin Moriarty that after examining all the medical information before it, they had voted unanimously to withdraw their earlier subpoena for any further medical records.
So exactly who is this anti-abortionist and religious zealot Phill (yes, he spells it with 2 l’s) Kline who has all reproductive rights healthcare providers in his crosshairs? Here’s GQ (Gentleman’s Quarterly) magazine's take on him:
"The man will do anything to stop abortion. ... [T]he most aggressive abortion litigator in the land, subpoenaing the medical records of abortion clinics and prying into our private sexual histories. Meet the future of the pro-life movement."
The Kansas Grand Jury, which was seated last December, had issued a subpoena for the medical records of 16 women who had sought the professional services of the clinic in 2003. In response to the subpoena, Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri filed a motion to prevent Kline from prying into their private medical records. But Johnson County (a wealthy suburban area of the Kansas City Metro) DA Phill Kline fought to have the subpoena enforced.
But even in defeat, and true to his pugnacious self, "Captain Ahab" Kline turned right around and filed another 107-count criminal complaint against Planned Parenthood. A preliminary hearing is scheduled in that case for early April.
Some background on Kline should help us understand why he was trounced in his 2006 re-election bid by his Democratic opponent, Johnson County District Attorney Paul Morrison, 58% to 41% after serving but a single term as Kansas Attorney General in a state redder than Dorothy’s ruby slippers.
But rest assured, Kline didn’t go down to his ignominious defeat without pulling out a treasure trove of tricks that would make even Karl Rove beam with pride.
In Kline’s Own Words: The Memo
Let's start with a rare documented look into how Republican Kline planned to use evangelical churches by going through his detailed 4-page outlined memo he emailed to his staff in early August before the state-wide election titled "Church Efforts." This alarming memo was leaked anonymously to numerous media outlets from someone only providing a return address entitled: "Concerned Citizens, Everywhere, KS."
Kline told his staffers they need to increase his exposure at fundamentalist churches – especially those which were active in passing a Kline-backed constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage in Kansas.
"Try to get me in front of the largest crowds. [And] get additional churches involved. Am able to preach at several different churches where service times are different."
But he also demanded that his staffers "rescue" him from such venues before he could get bogged down by "well-wishers and autograph seekers."
"Get me out. Do not schedule me for social lunches. Only working lunches were [sic] we can obtain either [sic] media, money or crucial support. ... If there is a gap, get me to a quite [sic] place so I can make phone calls or write; feed me slimfast [sic]. Do not need a sit down meal. Takes too much time."
Kline stated that for every event his "goal is to walk away with contact info, money and volunteers and a committee in each church."
"Must get in their pulpits and have them personally host a reception to match Tiller’s blood money. [Dr. George Tiller, a local obstetrician]. Perhaps we can get Dobson by phone. [They] must commit to get 5-10 people there each who can drop $1,000 to $2,000."
But Attorney General Kline also knew that his politicking couldn’t occur right there in the pulpit:
"... have reception time as close to service time and as close to church as geographically possible. Get the pastor to invite 5 ‘money people’ whom he knows can help ... and get these 5 people there!"
In a Machiavellian manner reminiscent of Rove, Attorney General Kline knew he himself was not in violation of any laws by asking churches to host his political rallies and to deliver "money people" to campaign events immediately following his Sunday "sermon". Only the churches were in jeopardy of being penalized by losing their IRS tax-exempt status.
But that didn’t mean Kline wasn’t rightfully taken to the woodshed by those in the religious community. The Rev. Vern Barnet said the attorney general’s tactics were "a stink unto heaven." Barnet was joined by 18 other religious leaders in rebuking Kline for "exploiting his faith by dressing a political campaign in the wool of Christian witness."
And another group of ministers connected to the MAINstream Coalition also joined in criticizing the Attorney General: "Shame on Phill Kline for exploiting communities of faith for political gains," said the letter, signed by the Rev. Robert Meneilly, the politically moderate Coalition's former chairman along with 14 other ministers.
Kline’s Toe Goes Over the Line
But if Kline’s attempts at using religion to raise money for himself would make Rove beam with pride, another stunt Kline pulled would make Rove absolutely giddy – but this time Kline stuck his toe over the line.
In this money-laundering ploy, Kline’s attempt to manipulate religious voters earned the enmity of former Kansas Attorney General, Bob Stephan who is also a fellow Republican and devout evangelical.
Kline’s actions were so outrageous that not only did Stephan resign from Kline’s re-election committee, but the former Attorney General wrote to the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission urging them to initiate an inquiry into other numerous questionable political fundraising activities of Kline.
Stephan pointed to a re-election appearance by Kline at the Topeka Light of the World Christian Church where Kline had "preached" and then the Rev. Greg Varney told the congregation that anyone making a "love offering" (Varney’s exact words) to further Kline's "Christian ministry" should make checks out to Light of the World. The church, Varney said, would then cut a check to Kline's nonprofit organization.
But in point of fact, records document that Varney actually wrote a $1,339 check to SWT Communications – which not only happens to be a for-profit company, but one in which Kline's own wife, Deborah, serves as president.
And to make things even more dubious, President Deborah Kline directed SWT Communications to provide a contribution of $1,181 to Kline’s re-election effort. Any reasonable observer would think these events are at least a wee bit suspicious.
Additionally former Attorney General Stephan also requested that the Ethics Commission explore why the Kline re-election campaign paid $3,600 to his wife’s SWT corporation for storage of campaign material and office furniture – while in actuality it was shown they were being "stored" at Kline’s suburban Topeka residence.
In a statement to the Lawrence Journal-World concerning Kline, his manipulation of Christian churches and their connections to his wife’s SWT corporation, former Attorney General Stephan said of Kline:
"When you use your faith to shuttle money into your for-profit corporation, that bothers me. Especially when you are there, [not only] giving voice to your faith, but with the credential of being the attorney general. It bothers me because the public doesn’t know who is giving money to Phill Kline [and] use of contributions obtained through church donations."
It’s 10 O’clock ... What Is Your Teenager Up To? Kline Wants to Know
In using his power as Attorney General, Kline hasn’t limited himself to bullying just reproductive-rights healthcare providers. Teenagers were also in his sights when he became intent on pulling up a chair to listen in at every doctor’s and school counselor’s office every time a teenager sought advice on obtaining healthcare services.
Kansas is one of 12 states in which sex under a certain age (16, 17, or 18) is always presumed illegal, regardless of consent or the lack of age difference between the partners. But Kline's written interpretation of Kansas’ reporting law tried to make it the only state requiring all doctors, nurses, counselors, and all other care providers report – as abuse – any sexual interaction between teens under 16.
So why would Kline have such a prurient interest in knowing who Amy French kissed on the band trip?
Kline tried to frame his goal as protecting children from abuse. But in expert testimony at trial (damn right, it went to trial – Kansas may be one of the reddest of the red states, but there are blue-blooded folks there who still cherish our civil liberties), Professor Robert Blum of Johns Hopkins University testified that the flood of benign reports resulting from Kline’s interpretation of the law would make it virtually impossible to pursue genuine cases of sexual abuse.
Especially since the law already provides that any professional who suspects any form of child abuse must report it. Did Kline really believe he can better recognize abuse from some paper reports than the doctors and counselors who actually treat it?
Well, Kline finally admitted in an interview with Bill (Falafel) O’Reilly that his true target was (want to take a guess?) – "abortion providers" like Planned Parenthood. In applying Kline’s "logic" that all teenagers who seek an abortion were previously involved in a criminal sexual act, why would he then not subpoena all the records of all the hospitals where teenagers have given birth? It’s clear that Kline is less interested in real crimes involving teen sex than the non-crime of abortion.
And in their class action suit, health care providers, represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, prevailed in Federal District Court against Kline’s opinion. Judge Marten stated, "The attorney general's over-expansive interpretation of the reporting statute not only fails to serve the public interest, it actually serves to undermine it."
Dorothy and Toto Learn That Kline's Paycheck Goes Further in Kansas Than in Oz
But that was then, and this is now. What shenanigans has Kline been up to recently after loosing his re-election bid?
Oddly enough the man who defeated Kline for the Kansas Attorney General post, Paul Morrison, had not only been the Johnson County DA prior to running, but also a Republican. He switched parties to run for the state office as a Democrat.
And in an even more bizarre twist, only hours after Kline was swept out of office by Jayhawk voters, the Johnson County Republican Committee decided to have Kline serve out the remainder of Morrison’s term as Johnson County DA – despite the fact that Kline had no experience as a prosecutor or in criminal law ... and lives about 100 miles away in Topeka.
But it just keeps getting weirder.
Kansas law requires that its District Attorneys reside in the county in which they serve. Since Kline still maintains his home in the Topeka area, to get around his little legal conundrum Kline and his wife rent an apartment for $400 a month in suburban Stilwell.
Knowing that Kline makes $147,000 a year and that the U.S. Census Bureau ranks Johnson County (part of the Kansas City Metro) as the 20th wealthiest county in the nation, what kind of landlord gives a $400/month sweetheart deal to an attorney who’s making $147,000 a year?
Meet the Adairs. Earnest and Pat Adair of suburban Stilwel are long time anti-choice activists with Kansans for Life and have worked for the Kansans for Life PAC for years.
And although both Phill and Deborah Kline have now re-registered to vote in Johnson County, local station KCTV-5 News repeatedly found their cars parked at their home in Topeka. And KCTV-5 spent weeks waiting and watching for him to show up at their Johnson County apartment. But after more than a dozen attempts both early in the morning and at night, not once did KCTV-5 News see Kline in Stilwell.
They have, however, been able to catch Kline and his wife leaving the Johnson County DA office and head directly home to Topeka. And the next morning KCTV5 News documented the two of them leaving their Topeka house and drive to the turnpike heading back to work.
So what does an attorney earning $147,000 a year have to do to be able to rent an apartment in the 20th wealthy county in the U.S. for only $400 a month?
Maybe the answer can be gleaned in a recent statement by Pat Adair (who is also the director of the anti-choice group Women Influencing the Nation) made to the Kansas City Star admitting she’s been "very impatient to see Kline file charges against Planned Parenthood."
Do Phill and Deborah Kline live in the apartment with their daughter who still goes to school in Topeka? The Adairs swear that they do. I’m sure the Adairs are good upstanding Christian citizens who would never lie to cover up for Phill, now would they?
And so we’ve come full circle. Kline has vehemently argued that every abortion is murder – even though the law of the land holds otherwise. With the zealotry of an ideologue he has used his position of power to force state and county resources in repeated failed attempts to wage his own private war against healthcare professionals. And there appears to be no end to this putz’s chutzpah.
Sources:
http://www.kansascity.com/...
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/...
http://ap.google.com/...
http://www.usatoday.com/...
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
http://blog.au.org/...
http://findarticles.com/...
http://www.slate.com/...
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