The potential of terrorist attacks shouldn’t ruin Lawrence residents’ Independence Day celebrations, U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore says.

“We can’t let terrorists rule our lives,” the Kansas Democrat said during a visit Wednesday to Lawrence.

The 2002-2003 price of an elementary student's lunch in the Eudora public school district will remain at .60 per meal, Eudora Supt. Marty Kobza said. That was contrary to information in a survey conducted by the Lawrence school district and reported in Wednesday's Journal-World.

Moore, who is running for re-election, spoke to 80 people at a Lawrence Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Eldridge Hotel.

He said a sense of normalcy was creeping back into the federal government nine months after the Sept. 11 attacks.

That’s evident, he said, “when I see Congress getting nasty and fighting.”

Moore said he was tolerant of “temporary” reductions in individual freedoms if designed to impede a repeat of last year’s suicide airplane hijackings that led to 3,000 deaths in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Somerset County, Pa.

For example, he said he believed expansion of domestic wiretapping until December 2005 to be reasonable. It would be a mistake to indefinitely leave broadened rules in place, he said.

“People like me need to watch that,” Moore said.

Regarding other possible American military involvement, Moore said President Bush should consult with Congress before expanding operations beyond the war around Afghanistan. Allies in Europe and elsewhere also should be notified, he said.

“We are the only superpower in the world, but we shouldn’t act like it,” Moore said.

Moore labeled as insufficient the 2002 Kansas Legislature’s adoption of a $20 increase in per-pupil state aid to public school districts. That boost might be negated by budget cuts because of shortfalls in state tax collections.

“I’m angry as a Kansan with what happened in Topeka this year,” Moore said.

Representation of Lawrence in Washington won’t be compromised if a federal court lets stand the division of the city. Under a new plan passed by the Legislature, Moore would represent East Lawrence and U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Kan., would handle West Lawrence.

“I’d like to keep all of you, but we’ll have to wait and see what the judges say,” Moore said. “I think Jim and I can work very well together.”

The judges announced later Wednesday that they had upheld the Legislature’s plan.

While he was in town, Moore also spoke about the benefits of ethanol fuel and visited Kwik Shop, Sixth and Wakarusa streets. During his visit, customers were able to save 10 cents a gallon filling up on the more environmentally friendly form of gasoline.