Sam Brownback(RadioFreeEurope) Turkmenistan: U.S. Senator Assails Niyazov’s ‘Repressive Regime’: RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service spoke this week with U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (Republican, Kansas), who also chairs the U.S. Helsinki Commission, about the recent death in custody of RFE/RL journalist Ogulsapar Muradova. Brownback condemned Muradova’s hasty trial, derided Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov’s administration as “one of the most repressive regimes in the world,” and talked about ways to press it into a proper investigation.(WDC Media) Nothing Improper With Upcoming Values Voter Summit Say Organizers : Pro-family groups are dismissing warnings that a campaign they’re launching this week could result in churches losing their tax-exempt status. The conservative groups and their supporters will gather in Washington, DC, this week for what they are calling the “2006 Values Voter Summit.” Among those slated to speak are pro-family leaders Dr. James Dobson, Gary Bauer, Rev. Don Wildmon, and Tony Perkins — and national leaders such as Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Kansas Senator Sam Brownback. The stated objective of the three-day event (September 22-24) is to “educate and equip Values Voters on today’s family issues.” But Barry Lynn’s group, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, claims efforts by these conservative leaders to enlist clergy and their flocks in this year’s election campaign could violate government rules for non-profit organizations.(Backstage.com) Senate Approves Children and Media Study: The Senate has greenlit a study to be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examining how movies, TV, video games, and the Internet affect children’s development, according to Daily Variety and gaming industry site Gamasutra.com. The Children and Media Research Advancement (CAMRA) Act that which proposes the study was approved this morning. The study, which will focus its scrutiny on video games, could preclude some form of federal regulations on that industry. Games with violent content have been publicly criticized by several of the Act’s sponsors, including Senators Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Rick Santorum (R-PA), and Sam Brownback (R-Kans). “We do not know enough about the effects of electronic media on the development of children,” Brownback said in a statement. “Children today are exposed to more media than ever before. Given the saturation of television, video games, and the Internet in the lives of young children, we ought to have a better sense of how electronic media affects children as they grow and mature. “Pat Roberts(Washington Times) Hill defers action on detainee bills: Senate Republican leaders also have run into problems this week trying to advance legislation governing the administration’s terrorist surveillance program. Sen. Pat Roberts, Kansas Republican and chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told Mr. Frist on Monday that his panel should be able to consider the legislation before it goes to the floor. Mr. Frist yesterday agreed to delay floor consideration of that bill until next week. Jerry Moran(Western Farm Press) Unexpected sermon about farmers: Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kans., who was introduced at the mid-year board meeting of Mississippi’s Delta Council as “one of the rising stars in U.S. agriculture and one of the most effective advocates for agriculture in Congress,” delivered this unexpected paean to the American farmer in concluding his address: “I’ve been all across this country, meeting with, talking with, and listening to farmers, and what you discover is: wherever it is, farmers are farmers. They may bring a different perspective, based on commodity and geography, but they face the same kind of issues, generally the same battles, have the same overriding goals and the burning desire to see that another generation will have the same chances they’ve had. I care about farmers and their families, and when we develop farm policy, it’s about the economic survival of an important component of the U.S. economy. A farm bill isn’t just about farmers – it’s about whether we have children in our rural school systems, whether we have people to shop on our small town Main Streets, whether we continue to have a sense of community in rural America.”How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation here.