Gregory Bontrager

Soleimani met well-deserved fate The Hutchinson News - Jan 26, 2020

Early death is rarely bestowed on its most deserving subjects. Like the Carr brothers who have been shielded on death row by the Kansas Supreme Court for years. Once in awhile fate bestows the brass ring of mechanized death on a deserving subject like Qasem Soleimani the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force. With the life and limb of hundreds of American soldiers and thousands of other human beings lost, Soleimani met his end confidently on a dark highway near Bagdad. Thanks to the determination of President Trump to protect Americans and a well-placed Hellfire missile He was reduced to the same fate he had sentenced many others, too, remains burned beyond visual recognition. Soleimani reaped what he had sown and the world is a better place! Let’s hope we never become second best at the use of this technology or have leaders who hesitate to use this powerful tool decisively against our enemies! GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

A vote against Kansas with open arms Topeka Capitol-Journal - Dce, 22/2019

Gov. Kelly welcomes refugees to Kansas! Just what Kansas needs to follow in the footsteps of Germany, France and Sweden! We need to make sure Kelly is a one-term governor and have an exit strategy for these refugees. Preferably back to where they came from or the neighborhood Gov. Kelly lives in. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

PRESIDENT TRUMP The Wichita Eagle - Oct 15, 2019 It’s amazing how the progressive left supported by CNN and their media clones have failed to bring down President Trump. Have no doubt it’s not just Trump they hate, it is everyone who voted for him. We are the primary target of their wrath. It’s Middle America facing down the coastal elite. Does crowd size mean everything? Probably not, but it does mean something. The left quivers with envy and fear because they can’t match the size, enthusiasm or joy of a Trump rally. No amount of deep-state shenanigans or disinformation by Adam Schiff or Nancy Pelosi will bring them the ill-gotten victory they lust after. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Don’t believe the disinformation Topeka Capital Journal - Jul 27, 2019 Representative Cortez and her “Squad” of malcontents should suggest to the rabble trespassing the United States if they have a problem with taxpayer-funded detention centers or the agents protecting our border they can go home. They’re not being forced to stay. Maybe on Ms. Cortez’s home planet, things are different, but people who are abused by border guards or forced to drink toilet water don’t stick around. Left-wing disinformation is no substitute for the fact that Democrats are responsible for the mess on the border, not the agents shouldering the burden. Former acting ICE director Tom Homan summed it up best, 90% of illegals can’t find a way to court, but they don’t have a problem finding the welfare office. It’s not taxpayer responsibility to fund miscreant border crashers or support their offspring. This is the looting of the American taxpayer with the full support of the Democratic Party. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Biden an embarrassment Salina Journal - April 10, 2019 How embarrassing to watch former Vice President Joe Biden grovel at the inaptly named Biden Courage Awards in New York on March 26th. Then on Feb. 17, Biden told a European audience in Munich, Germany, that America is an embarrassment. This is the same Biden who withdrew from the 1988 Presidential race after plagiarizing a speech by British Labor leader Neil Kinnock. Has there ever been a creepier assortment of Democrats running for president? They can’t shed their scales fast enough to keep pace with their competitive pandering. Stop pushing faith-based fairy tales like the Green new deal and encouraging Central American migrants flooding our border. How many more Americans will be victimized by this new crop of illegals while Democrats and corporate opportunists like the Koch brothers refuse to work with Trump? Try representing America for a change instead of pandering to the Robespierre/Cortez wing of the Democratic Party. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Not a fan of Biden’s strategy Topeka Capital Journal - Jun 20, 2019 Democratic front runner Joe Biden seems to be following the Clinton strategy of limiting public contact. Let controlled exposure, name recognition and the illusion of moral fiber carry him to the Democratic nomination. Blending into the weeds is a Darwinian survival skill Biden has mastered with scary proficiency. Biden’s team is attempting to project a “woke” image for an old-time politician who carries a ton of baggage. His only remarkable feature is a willingness to jettison decades-old convictions on the turn of a dime. From minute to minute, who is the real Joe Biden? That has yet to be determined by the demands of political expediency. Like the portrait of Dorian Gray, the Biden team knows the less of the real Joe people see the greater his odds for political survival become. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Ramping up the echo chamber The Hutchinson News - May 17, 2019 Using an interchangeable script, the media is ramping up the hysterical anti-Trump echo chamber. Without a single accomplishment, the Democrats only hope for 2020 is blowing smoke by gaslighting the Muller report. Watching Democrats toot their ever-morphing virtue in the temple square has become a grotesque spectacle. On May 8 at an elite $10,000 a ticket Hollywood fundraiser, an aging Joe Biden told his audience, “Let’s take America back.” A trip back to Obamaland with Uncle Joe means a stagnant economy, exploitation by China, a weak military, low wages, high unemployment and billions in new taxes. Hopefully, after the 2020 elections, the only thing Biden and his Hollywood cronies will be taking is a trip back to their gated communities. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

TIME FOR THE INSURRECTION ACT The Wichita Eagle - June 2, 2019 With the ideological gridlock consuming the legislative and judicial branches of government and their de facto collaboration in the invasion of the United States from Central America, it may be time to invoke the “Insurrection Act” of 1807 to secure the border and begin removal of the invaders from our country. The act was used in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush to quell the Los Angeles riots and by President Eisenhower in 1957 to enforce school desegregation. Even critics of the “Insurrection Act” concede that under current circumstances precedent falls within the lawful scope of the president’s authority. It’s time to protect the American people as the mechanisms of orderly government break down under the weight of organized criminal activity along our southern border. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Orchestrated attacks The Hutchinson News - 11/29/19 The Russian collusion and Ukrainian hoax were separated by a pause in order to give deep-state operatives time to orchestrate another attack on the Trump administration. Conclusive proof of a crime is always guaranteed yet remains just beyond grasp. This is essential because no crime exists and the illusion of wrongdoing is always more powerful when left to the imagination of the target audience. The same scoundrels who guaranteed us irrefutable proof of Trump and Russian collusion are typical of how corrosive eight years of exposure to the corrupt practices of Barack Obama and his fellow progressives have been on the Democratic Party. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Blending into the weeds The Hutchinson News - June 19, 2019 Democratic front-runner Joe Biden seems to be following the Clinton strategy of limiting public contact. Let controlled exposure, name recognition and the illusion of moral fiber carry him to the Democratic nomination. Blending into the weeds is a Darwinian survival skill Biden has mastered with scary proficiency. Biden’s team is attempting to project a “woke” image for an old-time politician who carries a ton of baggage. His only remarkable feature is a willingness to jettison decades-old convictions on the turn of a dime. From minute to minute, who is the real Joe Biden? That has yet to be determined by the demands of political expediency. Like the portrait of Dorian Gray, the Biden team knows the less of the real Joe people see the greater his odds for political survival become. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Believing the lie The Hutchinson News – Feb/11/19

Provoked by professional agitators, the Covington school students stood up to a hail of obscenity and intimidation that would have withered most adults. With a moral compass received from a superior education, they validated the teachers and schools they represented, in contrast to the provocateurs who rushed to judgment before learning the facts. Like the Jussie Smollett hoax, its evident many celebrities and media outlets didn’t care about the truth, as long as it supported a race-baiting narrative. Even now many would prefer to believe the lie. The Covington students are a credit to the nation while exposing their critics for the hucksters they are. Hate crimes exist, but many high profile cases have proven to be stunts perpetrated by fakers for political or personal gain. Is it too much to ask that our media do their job and withhold reporting until the facts have been established? Apparently it is, because they keep reporting unsubstantiated “news” on a variety of subjects and keep getting it wrong. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson


Ocasio- Cortez, climate change is hard to understand The Hutchinson News - Feb 7, 2019

According to the new darling of the left freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the earth only has 12 years to go before we are doomed. It’s best not to ask Ms. Cortez too many questions about the things she knows; you’re likely to bump into a shallow reef. According to Cortez, climate change is like fighting World War II. Is invading House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s congressional office to protest climate change really the same as storming the beaches of Normandy? Cortez is a perfect example of the fluff who graduates from indoctrination centers like Boston University. From border security to health care she is incapable of providing anything other than a debunked cliché. Representative Cortez makes an ideal spokesperson for her fellow uninformed comrades on the left - Viva La Venezuela. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Walls work Kansas City Star - Jan 4th 2019

A physical barrier along our southern border is not an engineering or logistical challenge. Compared with the economic cost of illegal immigrantion, a wall is cost-effective. Other than meeting a need for short-term workers in the agriculture industry, those immigrants provide little economic value and undercut American lower-class workers. Border walls have worked for generations. Hadrian’s Wall across Britain served its purpose. Israel’s West Bank barrier and Hungary’s border barrier have proved nearly 100 percent successful. Have no doubt that an invasion of the United States is under way by foreign nationals. Claims made by Democrats that walls don’t work are simply short-sighted political disinformation. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

TRANSGENDER ATHLETES The Wichita Eagle - March 3, 2019 It is wrong for men who self-identify as women to compete in women’s athletics. No matter how they feel, they are physically men and political correctness will not change that fact. It’s heartbreaking to see reports of women who have striven in athletics pushed aside for a false concept and then criticized if they complain. No matter how you feel, you should compete with the gender you were born into and then resume your private life as you choose. Subjecting women athletes to compete against biological men is unfair and if permitted to continue may ultimately destroy women’s athletics. Transgender wishful thinking will never change biology or the facts of life. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

De-evolution of western Europe The Hutchinson News - Dec 31, 2018

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the second biggest mistake Germany has made since the fall of the Weimar Republic. Like Barack Obama, she is a virulent globalist, and has a religious belief in “man-made climate change.” This belief has caused the average German household to pay three times more in energy costs. Merkel has led Germany from ethnic cohesion into a blood-soaked reign of terror by flooding the country with unassimilable migrants. Like the United States, this open immigration is at the expense of the working class, who are supposed to shut up and pay the bill. Their plight is of little interest to Merkel or her ilk – if you don’t like it get out. Police armed with sub-machine guns must patrol once safe streets and concrete barricades are needed for fear of being run-down by suicide martyrs. As the body count rises, Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May have opened the floodgate to culturally disaffected human beings, resulting in the de-evolution of western European society. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Are we really supposed to feel sorry for them? Topeka Capital Journal - Jun 22, 2018 We waste to much time and money pandering to gate crashers along our Southern border. These poor unfortunate lawbreakers have been prepped by human traffickers to game the system and use their own children (or someone else’s) as pawns hoping for a free pass. When these freeloaders lose custody of their children are we really supposed to feel sorry for them? If your first act entering the United States is one of lawlessness and you have no hesitation using innocent children as an accomplice, should you have custody of these children to begin with - are you the kind of people we what as future citizens? GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Challenging the good of cultural diversity The Wichita Eagle - January 07, 2018 The notion that cultural diversity necessarily makes us stronger or better is simply not true. In general, the more homogeneous a society, the better things tend to work. Like socialism, cultural diversity is a talking point of the progressive left. If you want proof, take a look at what this failed concept has done to western Europe. By contrast, Japan and eastern Europe have taken the best of western culture and discarded the liberal baggage to produced more stable, citizen-friendly societies GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

No to elites Kansas City Star - January 05, 2018 As citizens we must never allow our judgment to become subordinate to people just because they have a Ph.D. or “your honor” attached to their names. These elitists have given us open borders, forced busing, the Paris climate accord, gun control and partial-birth abortion. Somewhere along the way, they have surrendered reality for a virtual world ruled by intellectual duplicity and an absolute faith in their own supremacy. The price we will pay for blindly following these people is the loss of our souls the way they have lost their own. Resistance to this cabal is a necessity if we are to maintain our sovereignty as a free and independent people. All you need to do is look around the world and see that if we surrender to these so-called elite we will become as morally bankrupt as they are. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Arguments against wall are wrong Topeka Capital Journal - Dec 31, 2018 A physical barrier along our Southern border is neither an engineering or logistical challenge. Claims that walls don’t work or too expensive is biased political disinformation. According to USA Today “There has been an explosion in building border walls since World War II” from 7 to 77 in 2018. Israeli, Hungarian and United States border barriers have proven to be nearly 100 percent effective. Compared to the economic drain of illegal immigrants and the economic threat they pose to low-wage American workers, a wall would be cost-effective protection. Other than a need for short-term seasonal workers, Mexican and Central American migrants provide little economic value to the United States. Encouraged openly by Democrats and secretly by corporate Republicans, an activist-fueled invasion of the United States is underway, for what these two odd ends consider to be in their own political and economic self-interest. Gregory Bontrager Hutchinson

U.S. shouldn't allow immagrants Topeka Capital Journal - Nov 27, 2018 We’ve seen this poor migrant act play out before in Europe. According to the media, these migrants are poor hapless woman and children seeking a better life. The reality is 80 to 90 percent are young fighting age men who tactically stage woman and children at the front of the column to bear the brunt of the tear-gas. As with the European experience, most of them will become wards of the state either dependent on welfare or in prison. If you want your schools and neighborhoods turned into crime-ridden sewers, by all means, let them in. Never fear because even if you don’t an Activist court will force you into submission. Resistance is futile in the Globalist order; you will be assimilated while the morally superior remain comfortably secure in gated communities protected by guards who carry guns. Protecting them from the same third-world trash that we are supposed to joyfully rub elbows with. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

American people deserve better The Wichita Eagle - November 11, 2018 If CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s intent was honest or at least he had a constructive purpose to his antics things might be different. But Mr. Acosta’s intent is to create a hostile environment and to be as disruptive as possible so he can make a headline. He does this at the expense of the American people and the other reporters who have legitimate questions to ask. It's not just President Trump that Acosta is disrespecting but the millions of American citizens who love and voted for President Trump. I want to hear what the president has to say, not the polemics of a disgruntled CNN windbag like Jim Acosta. If Acosta or the other reporters in the press room can’t control the urge to make spectacles of themselves then they should be barred from the privilege of the press room. Gregory Bontrager Hutchinson

One party engages in bullying Topeka Capital Journal - Oct 21, 2018 If you want to look into a dark pit, a place where truth fears to tread you need to go no further then the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. This is the party of swamp creatures like Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters, a place where anything goes in the pursuit of absolute power. Character assassination, ambush tactics and intimidation have become a substitute for rational political debate. With more resemblance to “brownshirts” the youth-wing of these Soros-funded basement dwellers resort to the stalking and bullying of anyone who stands in their way and then pretend they are engaging in “freedom of speech.” GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Don’t like it here? You can leave The Hutchinson News - Sep 7, 2016 The “old white men” that created the United States and Europe must have done something right because minority groups from around the world risk their lives to get to the country’s they created. I haven’t seen any Mexicans or Syrians storming the beaches of Cuba or China. If “Black Lives Matter” thinks the United States is so bad, try the paradise of Mozambique or Angola and see how that works out for you. European people have done more than any other group to bring equality, prosperity and stability to the turbulent world of humanity. That is why the world wants to be in the countries that they created. Anytime you think you have it so bad, remember you are always free to find someplace better. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER Hutchinson

No more freeloaders in our midst Topeka Capital Journal - January 2, 2017 We need to develop a way to expedite the deportation of large numbers of foreign nationals who are illegally entering or maintaining residence in the U.S. The American taxpayer should not be expected to foot the bill for people who have no moral or legal right to be here. Sanctuary cities that defy the will of the American people should be dealt with swiftly and, if need be, aggressively. The anchor baby loophole is being ruthlessly exploited by foreign nationals and no longer serves the purpose for which it was originally intended. This antiquated provision in the law needs to be eliminated. We need to be selective in the people we grant citizenship to. They must reflect our religious, moral and constitutional values. If they don't, they have no business being granted citizenship. We are not citizens of the world, but of the United States of America. Our obligation is to our own welfare first, not the rest of the world. The days of accepting freeloaders into our midst must come to an end. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Undocumented Immigrant Charged with Murder in KillIing of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts
Protect U.S. citizens The Hutchinson News - Aug 11, 2015 The first time I became aware of the devastating effects of criminal activity perpetrated against American citizens by illegal aliens came shortly after I graduated from the Emergency Medical Technician program at Wichita State University. I was working as a volunteer with the Sedgwick County EMS reserve when the unit I was stationed with responded to a multi-car accident. When we arrived at the scene several automobiles where overturned and the smell of gasoline permeated the air. Wichita fire department personnel worked skillfully to stabilize the scene and extract an elderly couple who had been pinned in their vehicle. I participated in CPR on one of the victims but unfortunately both citizens died as a result of the injury's they sustained. I found out later the accident was caused by an illegal alien who had stolen a car and then attempted to evade the police in a high speed chase. I never learned the fate of the perpetrator of this crime but I often wonder how many times a day innocent Americans are victimized at the hands of illegals who have no right to be in the United States. I wish our president and supporters of the sanctuary city concept cared as much about the lives of innocent Americans as they do increasing their voter base. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

Border security The Kansan - 5/2/1018 I suggest if we want a successful barrier erected along our Southern border with Mexico that we consider subcontracting with Hungary or Israel. Both of these countries have proven they know how to stop aggressive migrants from entering their sovereign territory. The days of dealing with invasion-migration tactics by massed foreigners must come to an end. The use of tear gas, pepper spray or water cannon may be an unpleasant necessity when dealing with virulent border crashers. But the lesson will be learned very quickly. The U.S. has learned the hard way we cannot be the world’s policeman. We must also learn that we cannot be the repository for every person or group of people who have a real or imagined reason for fleeing their country of origin. Perhaps these people should learn they must stand and fight for their own homes instead of shamelessly sneaking or crashing across our border. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

Obama is wrong about everything Topeka Capital Journal - Sep 21, 2018 For eight years the Obama administration passed the buck for his failed economic policies off on George Bush. Now former president Obama in his attack Trump speech on Sept. 7 is trying to take credit for the miraculous economic recovery of the Trump administration as well. Other than a distinguished legacy of being wrong on everything, Obama is without question the most duplicitous president in American history. There is nothing more repulsive than a former president who blames everyone, including the American people for the failures of his administration and then attempts to claim the success of others as his own. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

Islam is not peaceful The Kansan - Nov 15, 2017

Islam has demonstrated that it is not a religion of peace or tolerance. While most religions of the world have matured large segments of Islam have receded into a barbaric dark age where any crime, from mass murder to pedophilia can be justified by yelling the phrase Allahu akbar. Coexistence is a cover for the ultimate subjugation of other cultures whose only choice will be to convert or be driven to extinction. Assimilation has never been an objective of Islam. Not all Muslims are the same, but a substantial segment of the Muslim population are jihadist or jihadi sympathizers which means a small number of these zealots are capable of disrupting the entire fabric of western civilization. Are we going to stand up for our values or are we going to surrender to a culture of religious zealots who consider the murder of infidels to be a free ticket to heaven? GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

Multiculturalism and Crime The Kansan - Sep 19, 2017 From chaos comes order, except if you live in England, Germany, France or a host of other Western European countries who have fallen victim to the progressive myth that by populating your country with semi-civilized refugees with whom you have nothing in common is a good idea. This utopian fallacy has driven peaceful Europe to the brink of chaos. Like most progressive disinformation, multiculturalism is a product of self-hating indoctrination based on a variation of white guilt. Poland, Hungary, Romania, and other Eastern bloc countries like most Muslim countries have restricted the influx of predominantly Muslim refugees. The result being healthy ethnic cohesion and centuries-old cultural stability, minus the terrorism and high crime rates fostered by the virulent multiculturalism of Western Europe. The sad fact is that mass immigration over the past several decades has led to social and economic disintegration of the host countries as it has for states like California. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON
WHERE FEMALES FEAR TO TREAD!!! - by KATIE HOPKINS reports from Sweden, the Scandi-lib paradise where terrified women have vanished from the streets and a conspiracy of silence and self-censorship on immigration buries the truth...

The downfall of Sweden The Hutchinson News - Feb 6, 2017 A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away there was a beautiful land filled with beautiful people. These people shone like the Sun and were at peace with mankind. From the midst of this magnificent people a sinister group who called themselves "Progressives" rose to power. With lies that were twisted to sound like the truth, these Progressives opened the gates to the peaceful kingdom so that predators could roam freely among the lambs. Women and children could no longer walk hand-in-hand down once-safe streets, and darkness fell over a place that had been full of the Sun. This once-peaceful land, which was betrayed by the Progressives, is called Sweden, and thanks to them, it is now the rape capital of Europe. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

Muslim migrants just don’t behave like our Mennonites Salina Journal - June 11, 2018 If Muslim migrants behaved like Mennonites no one would have a problem with them. In fact, they would probably be sought-after. The problem is they don’t. They reflect the rigid intolerance of the societies they come from. They have little regard for human life, including their own. Never has such a religious culture believed itself to be so superior yet demonstrated the misogynistic brutishness of a third-world street gang. The question Western societies must ask themselves: Is Muslim immigration worth the debasement of their own women and children in order to placate a subset of human beings whose ultimate objective is the destruction of every social vestige of the host country? We also must remember that these people fled lands of competing tyrants and they were the losers. Like most barbarians, they don’t seek to change their ways, but to ply their brutality on those they consider weaker than themselves. Is victimhood at the hands of cultural thugs the legacy you wish to leave your children? GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Liberal nations letting citizens become terror prey The Hutchinson News - March 28, 2016

The European continent has been thrown into chaos by hordes of uninvited Muslim immigrants who are disproportionately comprised of young men who have abandoned their own women and children to seek safety for themselves. They show contempt for the indigenous population and have a psychopathic sense of self-entitlement. Everywhere these so-called immigrants have been permitted to nest, crime rates have skyrocketed and civil chaos has followed. In countries like Sweden, Germany and France, women and children can no longer walk down once-safe streets for fear of being accosted by these violent sociopaths. Peaceful neighborhoods have become hunting grounds for gangs of predatory refugees. Instead of protecting their citizens from these barbarians, the liberal governments of Europe and the United States are allowing the brutalization of their own populations at the politically correct altar of multiculturalism. In the masochistic liberal mindset, the defense of your own citizens from predation by foreign invaders has become an act of intolerance. Can anyone answer the question why other Muslim countries refuse to accept these refugees who share their own faith? Take a look at Europe and the answer becomes obvious. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinosn

Talking point of the left The Kansan - Jan 10, 2018 The notion that cultural diversity necessarily makes us stronger or better is simply not true. In general the more homogeneous a society the better things tend to work. Like socialism, cultural diversity is a talking point of the progressive left. If you want proof, take a look at what this failed concept has done to Western Europe. By contrast, Japan and Eastern Europe have taken the best of western culture and discarded the liberal baggage to produce more stable, citizen friendly societies. They have also shown the value of physical barriers to stop the mass movement of uninvited people. Japan is protected by an ocean and Eastern Europe by border fencing. Gregory Bontrager Hutchinson

The grip of evil The Kansan - Feb 16, 2018 The World is in the grip of evil, and like most evil, it passes itself off as the representative of good. These angels of light tell us that we are supposed to accept those who have committed a crime by entering our country illegally. That they commit less crime and pay more than their fair share when exactly the opposite is true. We are supposed to happily hand over our money, schools, and neighborhoods and if we object we are intolerant racists. After all, we are a nation of immigrants, aren't we? It is time to put aside this childish rhetoric and the people who spew it. The only thing that matters is what is in the interest of the United States and its citizens, not foreigners who disrespect our nation by willfully breaking our laws by remaining in our country. Gregory Bontrager Hutchinson

Thoughts on China / Nefarious infiltration The Kansan - Aug 16, 2018 / The Hutchinson News- Aug 9, 2018


Like a serpent in the darkness, Red China has been spreading its tentacles throughout Central and South America with the sole purpose of undercutting U.S. interests. Even more nefarious is the Chinese infiltration of our universities, where their students are used as intelligence agents to steal our most vital military and economic technology. A stranglehold of Chinese cash and large student enrollment has created an environment of bullying were direct and implied pressure from mainland China has created an environment of “keep the Chinese happy,” no matter what the cost. As usual, the highest administrative levels of our universities have caved to Chinese pressure. It may be necessary to limit the number of Chinese students permitted to attend our schools in order to protect our most valuable technology from the pervasive threat Chinese intelligence gathering pose to the security of the American people. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Stealing technology Topeka Capital Journal -September 4, 2011 While the United States slumbers, an insidious assault is being perpetrated against our nation by the People's Republic of China. As reported by Peter Brookes of the Heritage Foundation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkFaiPQ-sJE), the United States has become a virtual supermarket of unabated theft of military and commercial technology. With our preoccupation with the war on terror, this looming superpower - more powerful and deadly than the former Soviet Union - is aggressively seeking to supplant the United States as the preeminent military and economic power on the globe. Following a policy of appeasement, the Obama administration has abysmally failed to protect the American people from the Chinese. Why design for yourself when you can steal the best. And steal they do, from nuclear warheads to toaster ovens. According to Brooks, the PRC has 3,500 front companies in the U.S. whose sole purpose is the theft of our technology. While Red China plays military and economic hardball, the Obama administration remains oblivious, exposing America to what may be the greatest threat to our national survival in modern history. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

This is a friend? Topeka Capital Journal - April 28, 2011 Potential presidential candidate Donald Trump has finally had the nerve to use the C word, you know, that 800-pound gorilla in the room that everyone seems to ignore. China steals our technology with impunity and has implanted malware in our power grid. The Chinese have a specially designed ballistic missile just waiting to take out our carrier battle groups. They manipulate their currency to take unfair advantage of us, and we owe them tons of money. But I guess we don't have anything to worry about do we? They are our friends, right?. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Healthcare transparency needed The Hutchinson News - May 17, 2018 There needs to be more transparency for patients when dealing with healthcare providers and hospitals in Kansas. Before a procedure is performed, an estimate of procedure cost and insurance write-offs should be mandatory so the consumer can do competitive shopping for the lowest price. The more ignorant the healthcare consumer is, the more profitable they are for the healthcare provider. Shopping for health care across state line should be allowed. When other types of insurance were permitted to cross state lines, we saw an immediate drop in costs. Why should health insurance companies be permitted to hide behind state lines shielded from the competitive market place? GREGORY H. BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Southern border wall The Hutchinson News - Sep 29, 2015 The fact is walling off our southern border with Mexico would be a relatively minor engineering feat. In areas where barriers have been erected, they have been very effective. Walls are not a panacea, but physical security is always a good starting point. The most vocal opponents of a wall on the border are sanctuary city types who think an open border will help secure their re-election by pandering to their voter base. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

A fair internet The Wichita Eagle - April 13, 2018 Tech giants like Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are weeding out conservative voices on the internet by engaging in a technique called shadow banning. While liberal outlets like Media Matters and MoveOn.org have been given free reign to shred the truth. Conservative publications like The Daily Caller and Breitbart have seen up to a 30-percent drop because Google has altered the algorithms by which they appear in their search engines. Notoriously liberal organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center are being used as fact filters to weed out so-called hate speech and fake news. In effect, the chickens have been placed in charge of the hen house. This fits a familiar pattern that when the left can't compete in the free marketplace of ideas, they attempt to suppress the truth by altering the rules of engagement for groups that they don't agree with. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Great first year for president The Wichita Eagle - Feb 2, 2018 From employment in the African American community to high skilled manufacturing, President Trump has turned the lofty words of the left into the reality of the right. America needed to be rescued from eight years of empty Obama-era sloganeering. America first has proven to be more than just a slogan in the Trump administration; it is a promise that is unfolding before our eyes. The rhetoric from the political class has been replaced by a real leader who knows how to get the job done. With three and hopefully seven more years to go, this administration is showing the world what substance looks like over the identity politics of the Democratic Party and the get Trump reporting of the hysterical media. Gregory Bontrager Hutchinson

Clinton contemptuous to Americans The Wichita Eagle - March 18, 2018 As much as we try to move beyond Hillary Clinton, she just won't let us. With every excuse she makes for her unthinkable defeat at the hands of Donald Trump, she shows the depth of her contempt for the American people. Like the Hollywood elite and tenured faculty who adore her, she can't fathom that the common folk don't recognize their superiority to the rest of us. Clinton exudes every derogatory clich'a of contempt the left has to offer for America. Like a chameleon, the new breed of Democrat is learning from Clintons mistakes. They masquerade behind the values of Middle America while fitting comfortably in sheeps clothing waiting to reveal their true nature until they have consolidated power. Whether by altering the demographics of the voter base with illegal immigrants, or the creation of a welfare dependent population, the suppression of any political thought other than their own is the ultimate objective. Gregory Bontrager Hutchinson

NRA helps uphold rights The Hutchinson News - Dec 17, 2017 The NRA is probably the most effective civil rights organization the United States has ever produced. They have done more to defend the constitutional rights of the average American than any other organization. It is always difficult to prove a negative, so we will never know for sure how many Americans are alive because they have successfully defended themselves or loved ones because of the efforts of the NRA. We do know that anyone who truly wants a gun for evil purposes will get one and that a gun in the hands of a citizen can bring the evil actions of another to an end very quickly. If only a teacher, concert-goer or innocent bystander had been armed, how many people would be alive today? We will never know the answer to that question, but a solid case can be made that more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens is a proactive deterrent and immediate resolution to gun violence. In a violent world, laws that depend on the compliance of the individual will never provide the social stability of an armed citizen. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Left stooping low The Wichita Eagle - February 16, 2017 I believe President Trump will surpass President Reagan in greatness. The reaction of the left demonstrates how afraid of him they are. Greatness is not always measured by how many people love you, but by the ferocity of your opposition and the depths to which they will stoop. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Obama holdovers are undermining the presidency of Donald Trump The Hutchinson News - Mar 10, 2017 The media hounding President Donald Trump are the same ideological malcontents who gave Barrack Obama a pass for eight wasted years of American history. If you like welfare, food stamps or unchecked borders, Obama was your man, but if you work for a living or own a business, President Trump is on your side. The working class finally has a friend in the White House. The American worker will no longer be the target of runaway bureaucracies like the Environmental Protection Agency or rogue tax collectors in the IRS who were weaponized by Democrats to suppress political opposition. Whether they sit on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, city councils of sanctuary cities or the Hollywood elite, it is time to reject this neo-fascist sect that has seized control of the Democratic Party. This new breed of Democrat follows a path of violent intolerance toward others and unlimited ambition for power, no matter how unethical the end result may be. The Democratic Party of today would be rejected by liberal icons like John F. Kennedy. It is clear that a fifth column of Obama holdovers has embedded itself in the bureaucracy of the United States government and is illegally working to subvert the will of the American people and undermine the presidency of Trump. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Give Trump some credit The Wichita Eagle - November 06, 2017 I have never seen a president who has accomplished so much in such a short period of time and received so little credit as Donald Trump. Maybe some people have become so accustomed to failure they don't know what success looks like anymore - Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Democrats can't handle Trump's victory Topeka Capital Journal - 11, 25, 2016 What do we want? An end to sanctuary cities. When do we what it? Now. It's time for taxpayers to stop footing the bill for undocumented immigrants who are using America as a flop house. We have a right to secure our borders from an invading army of foreigners. We must never allow ourselves to be bullied by a minority of indoctrinated, basement-dwelling college brats who are on a rampage. Maybe it's time for the parents who pay the tuition for these overpriced dens of intolerance to start making baby pay his or her own way through school. Most of these hypocrites didn't even vote. President Trump must stay true to the citizens who elected him, not progressive liberals who had their shot for eight long years and blew it. Things were just rosy when the Democrats thought Hillary was going to win, but now that the unthinkable has happened, they are in full tantrum mode. Elections have consequences. Trump won and, like it or not, his supporters aren't going anywhere. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Accept responsibility The Hutchinson News - Aug 5, 2017 Everyone knows when you deal with criminals you are placing yourself in a high-risk category. At what point when you are being packed into the back of a trailer with a hundred other people do the alarm bells start to ring? The people who paid for a space in the back of that truck knew they were committing a crime and chose to do it anyway. Theses illegal aliens made a calculated decision to violate U.S. Law and unfortunately some paid the ultimate price for that decision. Now the rest of America is supposed to engage in moralistic self-recrimination because of the willful behavior of these unfortunate people. Is it too much to expect that people who knowingly break the law accept some of the responsibility for their own actions. After all, they made themselves vulnerable by placing their fate in the hands of human traffickers. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Witch hunt The Wichita Eagle - June 28, 2017 When special counsel (former FBI director) Robert Mueller finds that Trump did nothing wrong, how long will it take before the Maxine Waters wing of the Democratic Party accuse Mueller of being a tool of Vladimir Putin too? The nation is objectively better off from Trump's first day in office, unless you listen to the media, who have parsed the words of unnamed sources to create the illusion of wrong doing. Is this what the Salem witch trials looked like in the 17th century? Maybe we should reinstate spectral evidence, because without it, Democrats haven't got a shred of proof that Trump did anything illegal. When this witch hunt is over, the only thing that will be evident is a concerted disinformation campaign against Trump by the mainstream media and the left-wing of the Democratic Party. Another media manufactured crisis will be looming as soon as this one ends. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Not standing down The Wichita Eagle - Sep 7, 2017 Every time a police officer fails to protect a peaceful protester from the mob or stands idly by and watches public property being vandalized it becomes a greater threat to the constitution then the mob itself. Around the world, U.S. soldiers have fought heroically against evil only to be betrayed at home by cowardly civil authorities who wither in the face of organized violence by groups like Antifa. When the Berkley, Calif., police fail to protect peaceful protesters from 10-on-1 violence, I wonder what master they serve - because it is not the Constitution of the United States. These civil servants dishonor the men and woman who have paid the ultimate price by their failure to safeguard constitutionally protected speech. Have we become a third-world country that passively allows masked thugs to rule the streets of our cities and strike at the core values of our democracy? Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Rejecting the radicals of the left The Kansan - Aug 15, 2017 When the progressives of the Democratic party sound the charge they discovered they are on the political battlefield alone. The proletariat is not interested in trans-gender bathrooms or safe spaces for pampered children. They what immigration reform and an end to sanctuary cities. The motto of the working class is America for Americans, not illegal aliens. Multiculturalism has proven to be a disaster everywhere it has spread. The radicals of the left who couldn't get elected dog catcher have infiltrated the higher education system and have more in common with the fascist of the 1930's then the founders of our constitution. America has rejected them and their anti-American platitudes. They can't give there sugar coated poison away, so they have turned to deception and violence as a substitute for being rejected by the American voter. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Voter ID is necessary Topeka Capital Journal - June 24, 2017 Photo identification is a ubiquitous part of modern life. The thought that you have to produce a valid ID when you cash a check is acceptable, but somehow sinister to cast a vote is absurd. Why would any honest person think otherwise? Perhaps it's because certain groups believe they benefit from votes that may not be legitimate. The U.S. has traditionally been caught flat footed when dealing with its own vulnerabilities. Our voting process is antiquated and susceptible to fraud. Photo identification is a necessary step in maintaining the integrity of the democratic process. There is selective outrage over alleged Russian interference in our elections, but none over undocumented immigrants who routinely cast votes in our elections. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Cherry-picked judges disrupt executive power The Hutchinson News - May 1, 2017

U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick has illegally blocked President Trump from withholding federal money from sanctuary cities. These cities are in open violation of U.S. law. By blocking Trump's order, Judge Orrick has made himself a willing participant in the criminal activity of these sanctuary cities. Orrick is an Obama appointee who reportedly raised $200,000 and donated $30,000 of his own money to former president Obama. The fact that cherry-picked judges like Orrick can be used to disrupt the lawful exercise of executive power is an act of lawlessness that must not be tolerated. Politicized judges like Orrick know that their decisions will be overturned by a higher court, which means he is willfully engaging in ideological obstructionism. Not exactly ethical behavior for a jurist who is sworn to protect the constitution. Gregory Bontrager Hutchinson Court seized power The Wichita Eagle - February 19, 2016 If the fate of a nation rests on a single Supreme Court nomination, that can only mean the court has become too powerful and gone beyond the powers envisioned by our founders. The court's mission is to interpret law, not act as a dictatorial body unrestrained by the legislature. By what measure has our Constitution given the court power to bus your children into other neighborhoods, allow abortion or deem homosexual marriage legal? None. The court has seized that extra-constitutional power for itself and acts as a dictatorial body unrestrained by the will of the governed. Cross out the word judge and replace it with Caesar or Fuhrer and the end has become the same as unelected government officials forcing themselves on an unwilling population. Your life and children have become subjects of social experimentation at the hands of activist judges who not only have ceded to themselves the power of judge but usurped the role of jury and executioner as well. At what point in our democracy do we apply the brakes to an errant court that has overstepped its constitutional boundary? Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Don’t like it here? You can leave The Hutchinson News - Sep 7, 2016 The old white men who created the United States and Europe must have done something right because minority groups from around the world risk their lives to get to the countries the founders created. I haven’t seen any Mexicans or Syrians storming the beaches of Cuba or China. If the Black Lives Matter movement thinks the United States is so bad, try Mozambique or Angola and see how that works out. European people have done more than any other group to bring equality, prosperity and stability to the turbulent world. That is why the world wants to be in this country. Anytime Americans think they have it so bad, remember, they are always free to find someplace better. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson How the left thinks The Wichita Eagle - November 20, 2016 I don't think anyone was more disappointed than I was when Mitt Romney lost the 2012 presidential election. The way I expressed my disappointment was by writing letters to the editor. It never once occurred to me that throwing a rock or breaking a window was a legitimate way to express my feelings. It quickly became clear to me that there is a difference in the way people on the left think. They preach tolerance as long as they get what they want, but are viciously intolerant when they don't. As years of experience with Obama and Clinton has shown, deception is considered a legitimate part of doing business. There are no ethical limits when you consider yourself morally superior to others. Young people who have been indoctrinated by the left in our schools and universities have not been taught the skill of critical thinking. They have been programmed to react in the same way as the Hitler Youth of Nazi Germany or the Young Pioneers of Red China. They march mindlessly down the shining path in route to a false new order that is older than the dawn of man. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Obama administration purges the ranks of most capable leaders The Hutchinson News - May 6, 2016 David Petraeus is one of the greatest military minds of our era. He snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the Iraq war and handed a slam-dunk to the Obama administration. Instead of capitalizing on this victory, Obama replaced a generation of political and military success in the Middle East with the specter of a nuclear armed Iran and a cult of death that has metastasized throughout the world. While Gen. Petraeus’ name has been dragged through the mud for his indiscretions, 6,600 convicted felons have been released from prison by the Obama administration because their sentences were deemed too harsh. The misconduct of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton outweighs anything Gen. Petraeus did, yet she receives a pass from the Democratic Party elite. According to retired Gen. Paul Vallely, this follows a pattern by the Obama administration of purging the ranks of our most capable military leaders. If anyone deserves consideration for the mistakes they made, it is heroes like Gen. David Petraeus, not thousands of dope peddlers or crooked politicians like Hillary Clinton. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Bernie Sanders got scammed The Hutchinson News - Aug 2, 2016 Bernie Sanders is a socialist cliche who hasn’t had an original thought since he honeymooned in Russia 28 years ago. Poor Sen. Sanders got scammed by the queens of corruption, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Hillary Clinton, and then he laid at the feet of Clinton like a puppy. What will happen to the misguided people who placed their hopes in Bernie Sanders? They will be expected to smile and joyfully march into the arms of the Clinton political machine and forget how cynically they have been abused. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Freedom of speech can be a double-edged sword The Hutchinson News - 11/2/16 Colin Kaepernick is entitled to express his feelings, and I am free to boycott the team he plays for. People who make their living performing before the public, whether they be athletes or movie stars, need to be aware that the way they express themselves may potentially devastate their careers. Freedom of expression is very often a double-edged sword. If you offend your audience, don't be surprised if they no longer consume the product you produce Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Playing 'Games' The Hutchinson News - Nov 20, 2015 I wonder why "The Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence waited until after she made $52 million before she discovered how much she disliked Christians and Republicans. Someone at Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. should suggest to Lawrence that she could always return that portion of the money if she finds it morally objectionable. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson An ongoing conspiracy The Kansan - Dec. 30, 2015 There has been an ongoing conspiracy by Obama and the Democrats to alter the population demographics of the United States. This effort has intensified during the last year of his administration. Since the immigrant and refugee populations tend to vote democratic this is part of a long-term strategy to increase the democratic voter base That's what the refusal to enforce immigration laws and sanctuary cities are all about, job security for a bunch of liberal democrats. So a large criminal element has been willfully set free to roam the streets of America and terrorists disguised as refugees are allowed to infiltrate the homeland for the benefit of career politicians. As usual hard-working American citizens are left to pay the price in blood and treasure for these invaders. Does anyone doubt for one second that if these foreigners were breeding future Republicans instead of Democrats, that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would have had the border sealed tighter then a bass drum? Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson
Clinton shouldn't be next president Topeka Capital Journal - Apr 4, 2015 The stars of the Democratic Party shine so bright don't they? After eight years of the Obama administrations transparency, are we ready for more shenanigans from the Clinton clan? With single-minded determination, Hillary Clinton engages in questionable conduct then takes cover behind an ever-so-willing mainstream media. The only thing predictable about Clinton are the fables she concocts to cover the ridiculously avoidable behavior she engages in. Like the perfectly innocent taking of money from foreign governments and all those emails she deleted from her personal server. We are obligated to take Clinton's word that everything she does is just rosy. After all, the Clintons have never done anything questionable have they? Lanny Davis and James Carville bristle with indignation at the thought that anyone would question the veracity of the anointed heir apparent to the White House. Sinister right-wing forces must be hard at work forcing Clinton to do all those dumb things. Yes that's Just what we need, a few more years of sneaky duplicitous behavior from the president of the United States. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Clinton running incognito campaign Topeka Capital Journal - May 26, 2015 This is the first time I have seen a presidential candidate run a campaign incognito, from behind a pair of sunglasses and appearing in carefully staged media events. Hillary Clinton acts more like she's being profiled on America's Most Wanted than running for president of the United States. A candidate usually wants as much media exposure as possible. But in Clinton's case, the more you see the less appealing she becomes. Instead of speaking directly to the people, she dispatches such acolytes as John Podesta and Lanny Davis to convince the proletariat she is as pure as the driven snow. Clinton has calculated she has the Democratic Party's nomination wrapped up, so why upset the applecart answering questions about influence pedaling, big money deals with foreign governments and deleted emails. Sen. Rand Paul summed it up best: Hillary needs two planes, one for herself and another for all that baggage. If you want to see the way a Clinton presidency will operate, look at the way she is running her campaign and then draw your own conclusions. Is this a snapshot of a Clinton presidency? GREGORY H. BONTRAGER Hutchinson Hillary's spin machine going full tilt Topeka Capital Journal - Jun 26, 2014 The Hillary Clinton spin machine is gearing up to full speed. The facts of a life dedicated to ruthless self-promotion have now become an inconvenient liability in Clinton's compulsive upstream swim to what she considers her birthright — the occupation of the White House. It's not Clinton's concern for the welfare of the American people that matters but an ego bordering on narcissism and the fact Bubba wants to walk the halls of the people's house again in search of unlimited access to the television camera. The only tether binding the former first lady to the current administration is her shameless ability to distort the truth without breaking stride. What difference does it make indeed when you're in pursuit of the biggest entitlement of your life, the presidency of the United States. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER Hutchinson Benghazi haunts Hillary The Hutchinson News - May 12, 2014 Unfortunately for the Obama administration and Democratic heir apparent Hillary Clinton, the Benghazi scandal has sprouted a new pair of legs. The four Americans who were abandoned by their country may soon become more than just another footnote in the sordid legacy of the Obama administration. Perhaps Ms. Clinton will discover what a difference it really does make as her complicity in this sinister affair becomes apparent to even the most limited voters. You reap what you sow, and if the American people want to continue with this progressive liberal belly flop into another presidential election cycle, Madam Clinton will make the ideal candidate. In fairness to Clinton, she does possess that Bernie Madoff skill-set of milking the progressive Ponzi scheme until even the best and brightest have been thoroughly flimflammed. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Third world invasion has begun The Hutchinson News - Jul 21, 2014 The third world invasion of the United States has begun. Not in darkness but in broad daylight the invaders walk across our southern border unchecked and are fed, housed and clothed at taxpayer expense. At the same time the most highly trained soldiers in the world are receiving pink slips in the field and receiving shoddy medical treatment at home. Among the invaders are a fifth column of gang members and violent criminals who pass themselves off as children. Is this just another unintended consequence of the most incompetent administration in history or a calculated effort to polarize the electorate along racial lines? When all you have to offer is six years of total failure the only strategy left is to divide and conquer. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Getting the shaft The Hutchinson News - Apr 8, 2014 Wouldn’t it be neat if President Obama would grow a spine when dealing with third-rate thugs like Vladimir Putin or the mullahs in Iran? As it is, the only people getting the shaft by our fearless leader are American citizens and allies like Israel who have discovered through bitter experience how expendable they have become in the politically expedient world of Obama. The burden of fear has been lifted from the shoulders of the Putins of the world as the administration retreats into the fantasy that stuff like climate change is as big a threat to humanity as Iran getting a nuke or Putin invading Ukraine. If the Obama administration had spent as much effort working with Republicans as it does deceiving low-information voters or weaponizing the IRS to target political opponents, perhaps prosperity instead of angst would be the hallmark of this failed administration. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson U.S. receding as power The Hutchinson News - August 29, 2014 It's almost biblical the way the United States is receding as the pre-eminent World power. And with our decline chaos follows. We lack even the rudimentary political will to control our own borders, much less our vital interests around the world. As Friedrich Nietzsche said generations ago out of chaos comes order. The frightening thing is Nietzsche's kind of order comes at the price of our freedom and if you live in the Middle East maybe your head. As the forces of darkness coalesce around our shining city on the hill feckless self-serving cowards inhabit the seats of power in Washington. Our enemies' fear has turned into mocking laughter, as this stranded giant can't even stop foreign children from walking across our border in broad daylight. Deviant lifestyles are taught as if they were normal in our schools and left-wing disinformation is passed off as truth. Day by day the agencies responsible for maintaining order are being used as tools to spy on and persecute honest citizens because of their political views. As free American citizens it is time that we reassert our constitutional sovereignty and take back our government from leftist usurpers who are determined to save us from ourselves whether we like it or not. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Sharpton, Jackson racially profiled Zimmerman Topeka Capital Journal - July 27, 2013

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson aren’t interested in truth or justice. They are just making a living doing what they do best, race-baiting an innocent man. Without a wit of concern that George Zimmerman was defending himself from a violent assault by a stranger in the darkness, these men of God profiled Zimmerman based on his racial ethnicity because he dared to defend himself from an African-American assailant. These self-proclaimed leaders of the civil rights movement chose a course of high-profile demagoguery by appealing to the base instincts of the mob. We have come to know the shenanigans of Sharpton and Jackson all too well. We can only hope more rational leaders among the African-American community will have the courage to step up and provide an alternative to the antics of these two cynical opportunists. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Obama hope, change turned to cynicism, duplicity Topeka Capital Journal - Dec 16, 2013 President Obama's inability to man up to the malfeasance connected with his administration, coupled with an inability to tell the truth, appears to be a pathological characteristic of his presidency. Hope and change has been replaced with an ethos of cynicism and duplicity. With the election of her husband, Michelle Obama said, For the first time in my life, I am proud of my country. After America has been repeatedly lied to by Obama, who falsely claimed that you could keep your doctor and your health insurance, is the first lady still proud? Fortunately for the Obama family, they are exempt from Obamacare. Apparently the cook is too good to sit at the same table with the proletariat. Republican attempts to remove the special carve-outs for Congress under Obamacare were blocked in a party-line vote by the Democratic majority at the time. Is there no limit to the hypocrisy of this president and the Democratic Party? If you have employer-based insurance, get ready. The other shoe has yet to drop. When the employer mandate kicks in, millions more Americans will lose their coverage and be forced into the uncertainty of overpriced Obamacare exchanges. After five years of experience with the empty rhetoric of this administration, can anyone seriously have confidence in anything its people say or do? Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson A ‘pretend’ president The Hutchinson News - Jan 25, 2013 While America languishes, President Obama spends his time on the golf course or sunning on the beaches of Hawaii. But then maybe the country would be in better shape if the commander in chief spent a little more time frolicking and doing a little less so-called “work.” After all, the welfare of the nation isn’t really Mr. Obama’s primary concern. It’s appeasing billionaire miscreants like George Soros and union thugs like Richard Trumka. Saul Alinsky and Bill Ayers must be proud of their protégé. We travel down a road fraught with peril with a pretend president whose single-minded goal seems to be driving the United States into the history books of “once-great nations.” As “Atlas Shrugged,” the legacy of this bamboozler is a bankrupted, third-rate nation. He couldn’t care less as long as Air Force One has fuel enough to fly him to the next exotic junket at taxpayer expense. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Held hostage The Hutchinson News - May 30, 2013 Once again, President Obama has proven tone-deaf to the energy needs of the American people, instead placing his desire to appease the eco-left ahead of the security and economic needs of the nation. Clean coal was the first casualty of the “new order.” Now the Keystone pipeline continues to be held hostage by this administration despite empirical evidence to the environmental safety of the project. On the food chain of political priorities, the welfare of the nation ranks behind a minority of radicals who view us and our energy needs as an impediment to their voodoo green agenda. With the stroke of Obama’s pen, the Keystone pipeline would become a reality. When it comes to radical ecological dogma, rational priorities have been rescinded. We have become expendable in the new world order of ecological extremism. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Dealing with Mexican narco-terrorism Topeka Capital Journal - Jun 7, 2013 When Texas district attorney Mike McLelland and Kaufman County, Texas, prosecutor Mark Hasse were brazenly gunned down earlier this year, a chill colder than jagged steel tore through the heart of the American law enforcement community. It was widely believed these demonic murders were retaliation for the recent convictions of upper echelon gang members and that the killings bore a striking similarity to Mexican drug cartel assassinations. A disgraced Kaufman County magistrate appears to have been the perpetrator of the murders. The frightening thing is that, with the porous southern border, these assassinations could easily have been carried out by Mexican murder squads that could walk across the border in broad daylight. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reported Mexican cartels are currently setting up shop in American cities, controlling wholesale drug distribution across the nation. The question is, when will these Mexican Narco terrorists, many of whom were trained by U.S. special forces, bring their grisly brand of violence to the main streets of America? And will we deal with this threat in the same corrupt spineless way as the Mexican government? Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson I just fininshed reading "In Plan Sight: The Kaufman County Prosecutor Murders" by Kathern Casey published March 27 2018. I have a vivid memory of these demonic murders as they played out, real time in the media. Now I have the answers I knew would be answered. Thank you Kathern Casey for a wonderfull read. Holder beholden to wrong cause Topeka Capital Journal - Sep 10, 2013 U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder won’t be fired or resign because he is invaluable to President Barack Obama’s plans for America. Holder can be counted on to do the bidding of his master without question. Throughout history, it has been impossible for leaders like Obama to operate without functionaries like Holder. Holder’s allegiance is not to the Constitution but to his political philosophy, which benevolently masquerades behind the iron fists of such agencies as the Internal Revenue Service. With disregard for the law, this administration has shown a willingness to use government agencies in a chilling attempt to silence its political opponents. Using executive orders, Obama has shown contempt for constitutional authority by imposing his will on a population that has already spoken. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER Hutchinson Obama Zone Wichita Eagle - September 11, 2012 You unlock this door with the key of intellectual dishonesty. Beyond this door is another dimension – a dimension of lies, a dimension of deceit, a dimension of unparalleled failure. You’re moving into a land of both darkness and despair, of a downgraded credit rating and a $16 trillion deficit. You’ve crossed into a land where middle-class income dropped by 5 percent, and with the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression. Congratulations, you’ve just crossed over into the Obama Zone. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Obama’s trip from bad to worse Topeka Capital Journal - Aug 7, 2012 I never thought I would say this, but after three and a half years of Barack Obama, the George W. Bush presidency looks like the good old days. When Bush left office, we had a moderate recession that Obama turned into a catastrophe. Our economy should be in full recovery, instead we’re going from a nation of prosperity to a slum. With the most blatant campaign of political disinformation since the late Huey Long, the Obama administration brings new meaning to the lyrics “How low can you go?” What the progressive-left has forgotten is that capitalism is the measure of all prosperity, and ultimately all equality. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Pipeline delay a political decision Topeka Capital Journal - Feb 3, 2012 The Keystone pipeline was one of the most well-studied, environmentally safe projects in modern history. It was not blocked by President Obama because of environmental concerns. It was simply another casualty in a long list of cynical, vote-getting ploys to appease Obama’s radical base of support, the American people be damned. It is clear our Chicago politician considers his re-election more important than American jobs or energy independence. Better to dump billions into Solyndra and a host of other feel-good politically correct scams. This administration has gone beyond corrupt or incompetent. It is placing the survival of the United States in jeopardy. The decline of our country pivots around one point, the failed policies of the Obama administration. The Chinese will laugh while they fuel their economy with Canadian oil that should have been flowing into the heart of American industry. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Develop our own energy resources Topeka Capital Journal - Sep 20, 2012 The United States sits on untapped oil reserves estimated up to 2.3 trillion barrels, three times the reserves of OPEC. We are also the world’s largest producer of natural gas and coal. So why do we spend billions importing petroleum from hostile powers and enriching our enemies when we are literally the energy capital of the world? This energy can be obtained safely but we allow misguided politicians and eco-radicals to block our path to energy independence and the revitalization of our economy. In the meantime, we sit on an untapped gold mine that could free us of debt from China and dependence on Middle East principalities that hate us. We should be reaping the reward of our own natural resources. Energy independence by 2020 is an easily obtainable goal. The alternative is bondage to foreign powers that gloat at our misfortune. The presidential election this November will be decisive in determining if the United States remains a superpower or fades into the obscurity of history. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Use our drones against druggies Topeka Capital Journal - Jun 22, 2012 We have used Predator drones effectively to eradicate anti-American terrorists throughout the world. Maybe it’s time to target Mexican drug cartels. Give the Mexican government an ultimatum: Take care of business or the United States will. Let drug cartel members look to the uncertain skies with dread. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Deadly greed Topeka Capital Journal - Jan 12, 2011 If the Mexican government spent as much time and energy protecting its citizens from human traffickers and drug dealers as it does race-baiting the United States, maybe a lot of suffering could be avoided. If you are worried about the Mexican people, ask the Mexican government what it is doing to protect its citizens? The answer is zero. The fact is the Mexican government is pimping its citizens out for cold hard U.S. cash. That's it in a nutshell — money! Mexican men, woman and children abused, degraded and murdered by fellow Mexicans, all done with the complicity of the Calderon administration. What are the words to that old song? "I ain't got no-body." It's not American guns or drug-users or evil corporations driving up the body count in Mexico, it's greed for U.S. currency and an overriding disregard for the welfare of its own citizens, driven by the oldest motivator in the world: money. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Who got bin Laden? Topeka Capital Journal - Jun 6, 2011 As America slips under the icy waters faster than the Titanic, who will save us from President Obama and the Democratic Party? Open the telephone book and select any name at random and you will likely find a more competent leader then this bungling socialist the American people have placed in our White House. Did Obama kill Osama? No. If not for the ground work of George Bush and Dick Cheney, Osama bin Laden could have been living in Trump Tower and the Obama administration wouldn't have had a clue. Our brave Navy SEALs using information obtained from enhanced interrogation techniques and the polices of Bush/Cheney lead us to bin Laden. While the single greatest accomplishment of Obama is to take credit for the work of someone else. You can't have it both ways. If you're going to blame everything on eight years of Bush, you have to give him credit for the demise of bin Laden too. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Obama's greatest fear Topeka Capital Journal - Jul 22, 2011 What do President Obama and the left fear more the any force on earth? The American people uniting and saying they have had enough! While such left-wing pundits as Chris Matthews and Ed Schultz try to marginalize Fox News viewers as birthers or gun-toting kooks, the fact remains that the vast majority or what used to be called the silent majority are the ones who made this country great. The resurgence of the American middle class is the dread of the Obama/socialist left. Embodied in this vast middle ground are the values of our forefathers and a decency the Barney Franks of this world will never understand. Truth, justice and the American way or whichever corny phrase you chose, Americans don't like socialist concepts passed off as mainstream values. I apologize to those who embrace Obama, but every time I see this guy do his thing in front of the teleprompter it reminds me of the barker at the state fair telling us how much we will win if we hand him our spare change. Remember that old saying If it sounds too good to be true. In the case of Obama and the Democratic Party, this point has been proven beyond all doubt! Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Sellouts Topeka Capital Journal - Mar 16, 2011 Once the flagship of Internet services, AOL now occupies the corner booth in the Internet flea market. In an attempt to revive its fall from the stars. AOL has purchased the Huffington Post and anointed Arianna Huffington, cofounder of the site, president and editor-in-chief of the new and improved AOL. What’s that you say — “forgive them, for they know not what they do”? Aha, but there is silver to be made by joining the “dark side,” and it doesn’t get any darker than the loony-left Huffington Post. Humm, do I smell the king of the loons George Soros lurking somewhere behind this? It would appear AOL has sold itself to a new master to pump up the bank account at the expense of its soul — a perfect example of unbridled capitalism lacking a shred of moral fiber. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson Guard the border Topeka Capital Journal - Jul 1, 2010 When are we going to take the gloves off? With the escalating violence on the Mexican border spilling into the U.S., what better use for the thousands of soldiers retuning from Iraq and Afghanistan than to secure our southern border? I am tired of seeing my country trashed by drug dealers and human traffickers. What disturbs me even more is watching our political leadership bend to appease a Mexican government that actively encourages its citizens to break our immigration laws while it ruthlessly enforces its own. We are being invaded by foreigners who don’t care about our nation or our heritage. They are here for one reason, to take. Whether it be from our schools or medical system, these criminals continue to consume the life’s blood of our elderly, children and working class. We should expel those who have committed a criminal act by entering our nation illegally. If you have come to the U.S. by marriage fraud or any other illegal means you are not an immigrant, you are a criminal. You have no right to be here. When will we man up and stop this invading army of marauders? Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson


No friend to America The Hutchinson News - Feb 03, 2011 Godfather of the progressive movement, billionaire George Soros of The Open Society Institute is silently trying to destabilize the American democracy. Hiding behind well-financed front organizations, this Judas, who as a youth during World War II assisted in confiscating property of fellow Jews (as revealed in a 1998 "60 Minutes" interview), hides his nefarious financial empire offshore to avoid the scrutiny of U.S. financial regulators. He will use any means necessary to reshape the world in his own twisted, left-wing image. With billions of dollars and insidious fifth-column maneuverings, Soros is attempting to encircle independent media outlets and replace the truth with his progressive "one world" dogma. What happens to those who stray from Soros' path? Ask Juan Williams, formerly of National Public Radio. Using mouthpieces like the Huffington Post, Soros is relentlessly moving toward the destruction of our core American values. Unfortunately, Mr. Soros has run into a problem; fearlessly, Glenn Beck of Fox News is exposing this elitist socialist in his insidious plot to reshape our nation and the world in his own distorted, godless image. If Mr. Soros is successful in his endeavor, hopefully we will receive better treatment than he gave his fellow Hungarian Jews 65 years ago. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Ineffective leader (Senator Terry Bruce) The Hutchinson News - 12/17/2010 Other then collecting $30.000 and warming a seat for three months in Topeka what has Senator Terry Bruce done for Reno County? After looking at his legislative record, one is hard pressed to find a single accomplishment, unless you consider extending the retirement age for District Court Judge Richard Rome to be an achievement. Senator Bruce is part of the established political elite of Reno County, a “good old boy" whose ilk has run this town and state far too long. He has attained membership in the most exclusive club in Kansas, our Senate and will likely remain there because of the apathy of voters who are content to elect party operators who spend more time looking out for their political home boys then the citizens who elected them. With the likely ascendance of Sam Brownback to the governorship I'm sure Mr. Bruce will make a lovely addition to the new governor's rubber stamp collection. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Beck is a truth-teller The Hutchinson News - 11/4/2009 Glenn Beck of Fox News is a brilliant entertainer who overstates the truth the way truth is supposed to be overstated. The left is wilted by his blistering, hard-hitting persona and they just can't stand it. With his impromptu style, Mr. Beck makes the toes of the neo-Marxist Obama administration curl like the Wicked Witch of the East in Munchkin Land. The closest thing the left can muster is Keith Olbermann of MSNBC. If he's the best you can do, all hands abandon ship. Um ... is that Barney Frank boarding that life boat? Remember, if you repeat the truth over and over again someone will believe it. This is why the Obama administration hates Mr. Beck and Fox News with a passion. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Thomas pegs Obama Topeka Capital Journal - Jul 20, 2009 Once again, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas was on the mark. His insight, expressed in a recent column, into Obama's belief that a good press release or putting on a good show in front of a teleprompter makes for sound policy is so true. The fact is, Obama is all fluff and very little substance. It's unfortunate that some liberals in this country swoon every time they see his face and fail to realize it's backed by a head filled with tried and failed left wing policies as old as Karl Heinrich Marx. Down the road to oblivion we travel, with the belief that Obama's pretty face and glib syntax are going to save us from something - GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

The big lie Topeka Capital Journal - Sep 28, 2009 It's true, there is no lie too big to tell. As the debate on health care moves toward legislation, let's not forget how our truth-telling Chicago politician and his crowd - Christopher Dodd, Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi - tried to stifle debate and shove their Orwellian health care plan down our throats sight unseen. The Brave New World is upon us, brought on by President Obama and the socialist left and those other honest folks who inhabit the slimy underbelly of the far left. Our well-scripted president stood before the nation and handed us the same empty words that all propagandists have fed the masses Ã the big lie in a prim, articulate package - GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

How does it feel to be slapped in the face? The Hutchinson News - March 3, 2008 How does it feel to be slapped in the face? If you are a corrections officer in Kansas you already know. The sad fact is the slap didn't come from and inmate, but the Kansas Legislature. Instead of being recognized for safeguarding the safety and welfare of our community we are being treated like a doormat by the Kansas Legislature. While they sit safely in guarded chambers and walk on polished marble floors, we, the corrections officers of Kansas, walk on hard concrete with the sound of steel on steel and the ever-present danger of sudden physical assault. At a time when assaults on staff are increasing, coupled with an overwhelming turnover rate, the Kansas Legislature, in their wisdom, is attempting to reduce the standard of living of Kansas Department of Corrections employees. They are attempting to take away our cost of living increase, our longevity pay, and in a feeble attempt to appease us, they wish to issue insulting one and a half percent wage increases. Add to this, currently, inmates of KDOC can take grievances to Topeka for review; but the Legislature is attempting to take away that right for corrections officers. The inmates seem to have gained more rights than law-abiding citizens. As citizens we pay for gas, medical care, food and roofs over our head; this is all provided to inmates at taxpayer expense, the biggest welfare system in the state. The citizens of Kansas should be outraged at the treatment we are receiving from our elected leaders. Kansas corrections officers rank 40th in pay in the United States. It seems as though our state leaders are aiming to make us number 50. We of the KDOC represent part of the thin line that stands between "them" and the community. With every action the Kansas Legislature takes, that line is becoming thinner and thinner. Ultimately, the citizens of Kansas are the ones who will suffer from the Legislature's recklessness. While Kansas legislators will retire with hefty pensions, the dedicated men and women of the KDOC will continue to sink into a low standard of living while working in an increasingly violent environment. I hope they are proud of the legacy they leave the citizens of Kansas - GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

DOC role vital Topeka Capital Journal - Nov 27, 2009 Kansas Department of Corrections officers and staff provide an unseen, but nevertheless vital, role in the safety and security of the citizens of Kansas. With our decline, the lives of average Kansans will become less secure. In the midst of a declining economy, rest assured the first priority of legislators is to feather their own nest first. If you think I'm joking, look at their health insurance, retirement and other benefits compared to state and private sector employees. Wouldn't it be nice if we all controlled our own paycheck? When was the last time you gave your staff $25,000 bonuses in the middle of economic hard times? Ask House Speaker Mike O'Neal. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

Marriage game Topeka-Capital Journal - Sep 12, 2010 As the market in marriage fraud grows unabated, Kansans are increasingly targeted by dishonest foreign nationals who marry citizens to gain entry into the United States. These people will use any means necessary to escape poverty and social deprivation, including destroying your reputation and financial well-being. Aided and abetted by attorneys and many well-intentioned church and social organizations, a silent atrocity is being perpetrated against innocent Americans who have naively married foreign nationals. Without hesitation, your home, job and standing in the community will be sacrificed to maintain their visa status. Your rights as an American citizen have become secondary in the new world order of political correctness. Are all such marriages fraudulent? Of course not, but beware if you are marrying a foreign national, you are placing yourself in a high risk category. Gregory H. Bontrager Hutchinson

Prejudiced judgment The Hutchinson News-Feb, 14 2009 If you find yourself before a Kansas court, fasten your seat belt, you may be in for a bumpy ride. You may find the judge handling your case is not the impartial arbiter we have been led to believe they should be. Some district judges use the bench to dispense justice according to personal prejudice, rather then the law . Many have held office so long they have acquired a sense of infallibility. Local courts have an assortment of judges who use power as an extension of their personal beliefs and may retaliate against those who have a different view. They have become creatures of a privileged bureaucracy. Always order a copy of the court transcript; you may be surprised by the inaccuracies you discover. With the Kansas Commission on Judicial Qualification acting as goalkeeper for Kansas courts, they stand safe from all but the most serious ethical violations. GREGORY BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Beware of 'predator' The Hutchinson News - Jan-16-2008 Citizens of the United States beware. At this moment, you are being stalked by a cunning, sophisticated predator. Thousands of American men and women have fallen victim to this ruthless hunter. The tool this predator uses is a smile, and the warm embrace of a lover. This predator has one goal, to gain entry into the United States by marrying an American citizen. Once this objective is accomplished, you have served your purpose. You will be discarded like a rag. Be assured this predator is not alone. He or she will have access to attorneys who specialize in distorting the intent of our legal system. No matter how unethical, they will get the job done. The predator, through legal maneuvering, is now transformed into a "victim" GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

Threat from Within Topeka-Capital Journal - August 6,2008 Americans live in a world of many threats from abroad, One of the least understood or talked about is marriage fraud. Foreign nationals will marry American citizens solely to gain entry into the United States. Thanks to the Violence Against Women Act, safeguards that once protected U.S. citizens from this type of fraud have been largely swept away. There are Web sites that instruct foreigners how to circumvent U.S. law by using VAWA and an abundance of attorneys who specialize in distorting the well-meaning intent of this law. While we wage war in Afghanistan and Iraq to combat terrorism, this insidious form of terrorism is taking its toll on American citizens inside our own borders. Don’t count on help from your government or elected officials, you will be met with indifference or open hostility, chief among this group is Sen. Sam Brownback. Only Ten Kennedy has a more liberal voting record on this issue. This elitist group has turned a blind eye to fraud perpetrated against their own honest, hardworking citizens, while claiming to do so in the name of justice and fair play. Gregory Bontrager Hutchinson

Americans live in a world of many threats from abroad The Hutchinson News - March 3, 2008

Law filled with loopholes The Hutchinson News - December 15, 2008 Under our Constitution the first responsibility of the government is to protect its citizens. When it comes to marriage fraud, the United States government has failed and in many instances will collaborate with perpetrators. Because of the Violence Against Woman Act, a foreign national, man or woman, can claim they were abused, verbally or physically, by their American spouse and they may be granted a visa. The standards of proof held by the immigration service under VAWA are so low they are nonexistent. The American spouse of the foreigner has no right to know of claims made against them unless a criminal charge is filed. In effect, the foreigner can say anything, and you, a citizen of the United States, have no right to defend yourself, no matter how scurrilous the lies may be. Keep in mind the foreigner making the claim of abuse has a vested interest in making you sound as bad as possible and will be represented by an attorney who specializes in doing whatever it takes, no matter how unethical, to destroy your good name. Who is there to defend this citizen? No one; you are at the mercy of whatever distortion a high paid lawyer can conjure, all done in darkness, behind closed doors – a government turning against its own citizens. On the surface, VAWA sounds great; how can anyone be against violence against woman? But with any legislation, the devil is always in the details. VAWA has opened loopholes in the law big enough to drive a bus through. And many predatory foreigners armed with foreknowledge of these loopholes and ready lists of attorneys are boarding that bus for a free trip to the U.S. at the expense and welfare of an American citizen. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER Hutchinson

Harsh judgment The Hutchison News – Sep-16-2007 How many citizens of Reno County have found themselves before our esteemed 27th judicial district? How many of you have had one of our 'guardians of justice' place bald-faced lies about your supposed courtroom conduct in public record. How many of you have read sworn court transcripts listing you as present in court, when you were home in bed? I have. All of our jurists are of the highest character, or are they? I guess the question is have enough citizens of Reno County seen the dark side of our legal/judicial system as it works on an everyday basis? If you haven't, you may be in for a surprise. Here is good news. We don't need a revolution or revolt to change this system. The founders of our nation have given us all the tools we need to effect change. Go to the polls and vote. With a little involvement we can make our community a better place to live. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

Immigration vote Topeka Capital Jounal - June 26, 2008 Is Sam Brownback a U.S. senator? If you look at his voting record on immigration issues, it's hard to tell. It appears Browback is having problems remembering which isde of the border he's on. From "chain migration" to "refugee and asylum" votes, Brownback has shone a consistent pattern of favoring foreigners at the expense of American citizens. If Brownback continues, Ronald Reagan's "shining city on hte hill" will soon become another third world slum! GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

We need new faces The Hutchinson News - August 29,2008 Isn’t it time for a shake-up in the political landscape of Reno County? Not speaking as a Republican or Democrat, but a citizen who feels the judges, sheriff, district attorney, senator and representatives have held office too long, and as someone who is tired of seeing unopposed candidates on the ballot election after election. When are we going to wake up and remove this arterial buildup from the leadership of our community? We need new faces on the political scene instead of this same crew that in my opinion has led us down an ineffectual and at times twisted path. We keep placing the same marginal people in office, many of whom are probably incapable of holding a job if we didn’t keep electing them. I suggest a write-in rather then voting for someone who is running unopposed; let them know the office they hold is a privilege, not a birthright. Can we alter the political landscape of Reno County? Absolutely! Are we going to do so? Probably not. We have become a docile, easily led community. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON Say no to elite The Hutchinson News - October 8, 2008 How long are we going to allow the political elite of Reno County to select who we vote for? In the heartland of the greatest democracy on earth, we have allowed an oligarchy to control who is on the ballot. Instead of the vibrant exchange of ideas and competing views of a true democracy, we have passively allowed the same career politicians to occupy the government offices of Reno County. Isn’t it time we insist on a choice at election time instead of accepting the same unopposed candidates? Let us send a message to the powers that be in Reno County. We are not going to tolerate unopposed leadership taking up residency in our valued government offices. When I go to the polls this November, no matter what party afflation, I will “write in” rather than vote for an unopposed candidate. It is time for the bright light of competitive Democracy to return to our community. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

Bigger raises needed The Hutchinson News - April 27, 2007 I am a sergeant at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility. In the four years I have worked there, I have had a fractured leg and suffered permanent knee damage breaking up a fight between inmates. I have been battered twice. I am subject to daily verbal abuse that is unimaginable to most citizens; and am threatened on an almost weekly basis. I work in an environment were 20 to 30 percent of the inmate population is infected with hepatitis or HIV. Every day on the job I face the ever present potential for violent physical assault. We are on the blunt edge of the laws passed by the Kansas legislature. Doesn’t the governor and the Kansas Legislature think the men and women of the Kansas Department of Corrections deserve more the meager pay raise being proposed? GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

Time for change The Hutchinson News - July 28, 2007 How long is this going to continue? The citizens of Hutchinson and Reno County keep electing the same judges, county attorney, sheriff and other public officials. Isn't someone in this town tired of being led around year in and year out by these same people? Why are we handing tenure to this same tired crew? They don't have to run for office anymore, the political elite puts the same names on the ballot, like sheep "we the people" vote them in, again and again year after year. These extended terms in office breed cronyism and arrogance. These political "hangers-on" have grown too comfortable in their power. Or should I say the power that is rightfully ours. I for one am tired of it! It's time to clean this "sludge" from the arteries of our community. Let's send this bunch back to the private sector and bring new fresh faces to our courts and local government. We deserve so much better then we have! Times are changing and as a community we need to move in a new direction. Do we have the courage and will to do so? GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON Ethics, honesty, should be priority The Hutchinson News - August 8, 2002 The rot starts at the top. While rank and file Hutchinson Police Department officers fall left and right, has anyone stopped to think that maybe the problem starts a little higher up? Any organization runs from the top down. If this is true, what does this say about the upper echelon of the police department? Maybe the wrong people are losing their jobs! This "we can do anything we want attitude" filters from the top down. If ethics and honesty were a priority with the brass at the Hutchinson Police Department, maybe some of these problems could be avoided. GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

Reno County Law Enforcement Center Unpublished Letter to the Editor - Aug 11, 2009 I worked at the Reno County Law Enforcement Center a number of years ago. I saw an immediate change for the worse with the retirement of Chief Heidebrecht. With the coming of the new regime the days of honest forthright police officers in management and investigative positions ended and in came the “if we can get away with it, its OK mentality”. I observed a department of honesty and respect degenerate into an agency governed by dishonesty and bullying of law abiding citizens based on lies and confidential information obtained under questionable circumstances. I know this from personal experience. The moral compass of any organization flows from its leadership. And until a major overhaul of the department occurs I see little hope for changes that are desperately needed. I am sure most Hutchison Police officers are decent men and woman who care for there profession and community. Unfortunately it appears the malcontents that inhabit all organizations have gained favor in the upper circles at the Hutchinson Police Department. It would seem “Birds of a feather” do indeed flock together. According to city offices state law prohibits the chief of police from being an elected office. With the growing diversity of our community and the power this office holds, it is unfair that the Citizens of Hutchinson do not have a say in who our chief is. With ongoing concerns about the direction our police department has taken under current management, maybe an elected official could lead the department in a more constructive direction. We vote for mayor, commissioners and sheriff, why should the chief of police be insulated from popular vote? GREGORY H. BONTRAGER HUTCHINSON

https://www.hutchnews.com/news/20181231/de-evolution-of-western-europe https://www.kansas.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article223142825.html https://www.salina.com/news/20181231/de-evolution-of-western-europe https://www.ottawaherald.com/news/20181231/de-evolution-of-western-europe http://gm1-kswebvarnish.newscyclecloud.com/news/20181231/de-evolution-of-western-europe https://www.hdnews.net/news/20181231/de-evolution-of-western-europe https://www.gctelegram.com/news/20181231/de-evolution-of-western-europe https://www.ottawaherald.com/news/20181231/de-evolution-of-western-europe https://www-1.kansas.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article223142825.html#aprd