Autism Awareness Month Kick-off

1 in 150 children are diagnosed with some form of autism. It's a disease that has grown rapidly in the past couple decades, and there is no real explanation. Some of the increased number of diagnoses can be explained by increased awareness and better screening, but there's something else going on.

The Lee's Summit Autism Support Group was started by a couple determined mothers whose children have been touched by this disease. On Thursday, April 3, they are hosting an Autism Awareness Night at Beauchamp's on the Rail in old Lee's Summit. (I've heard good things about Beauchamp's, and have been wanting to check it out.)

This isn't going to be some awkward, tear-stained event filled with tributes to kids you've never met. You won't be forced to hug anyone. Instead, it's going to be fun and positive, with a bunch of local celebrities like former Kansas City Chiefs Deron Cherry, Kimble Anders and Anthony Davis, Kathy Quinn of FOX 4 News, Matt Stewart of Channel 5, Shawn Sedlacek of the Royals, and the Royals Blue Crew (what's with the fascination with oldschool media and athletes - why not bloggers and wargamers?).

If you don't know anything about autism, this will be a good way of learning a little while having some fun. If you know a lot about autism, come out and support the cause. Beauchamp’s will be donating a portion of the proceeds that night to the Autism Alliance of Greater Kansas City.

Revenge of the Nerds

I admire people who pursue their passions, and I enjoy reading about people who are "into" whatever fascinates them. "Diversity" should be not only a societal goal, but a personal one. The most interesting and well-adjusted people are those who don't subconsciously sacrifice their personal interests on the altar of being "normal". I'm wildly proud of my wife for picking up a guitar in her forties, and now being able to strum out songs I recognize. I admire the space nerds who show up at the blogger meet-ups. As the bumper sticker says, why be normal?

But the thought of the Lee's Summit High School Wargames Club earning letters (as was casually mentioned at Beneath the Ginko) pushes the concept of societal acceptance a bit too far. Next thing you know, they're going to want to date cheerleaders . . .

Subtle Brilliance - Funkhouser's Triumph of Leadership

When I went trout fishing over the summer, my guide would often whisper, "Do you see that one out there?", and gesture toward a patch of stream. Despite my polarized sunglasses and best efforts, I did not have the experience to see clearly into the moving water and distinguish the shape and color of a trout among the rocks and moss in the stream. "No", I would whisper back, but cast to the spot anyhow, knowing that my lack of vision didn't mean the fish wasn't there.

Various commentators have failed similarly in looking at the budget battles that ended this week. They think they know what leadership looks like, but they don't see Funkhouser standing out in the moving waters of the negotiations like they think a big fish would.

The visible leaders in the process were Deb Hermann and Jan Marcasson, and they deserve every bit of praise they are getting. They did a superlative job of crafting a budget that everyone could sign off on, blunting Cauthen's attempts to undermine it, and making the most significant steps toward fiscal responsibility this city has seen in a decade. We are miles and miles from Cauthen's "happy face" budget that he produced in February. Instead, we have a fiscally responsible budget that begins to tie hard numbers to citizen priorities.

If Hermann and Marcasson were the visible leaders in this process, why am I praising Funkhouser's triumph of leadership?

He's the guy that made it happen. Just as Grant and Sherman deserve credit for leading the Union Army to victory, Lincoln (another tall elected official without Hollywood good looks) was the leader that saved the Union. I'm not equating Funkhouser and Lincoln, but I am pointing out that great leaders are wise enough to create conditions for other great leaders.

Back when Cauthen issued his deeply flawed budget plan, Funkhouser did something that no other recent Mayor has done. He sent it out immediately to his cohorts on the council and to the entire city, demonstrating a commitment to exactly the sort of integrity, competence and transparency which guided the voters to elect him. He set out on an ambitious and well-attended series of forums, empowering people who have never been invited to a political backroom to participate in the process.

Most importantly, he directed the City Manager to come up with a budget that really solved the structural imbalance in our budget (offering Cauthen an opportunity to atone for one of the lies on his resume). Of course, that budget was a harsh document full of painful cuts that everyone knew was dead on arrival. But it set a baseline, and grabbed the attention necessary to create change. If Funkhouser had not demanded that document, of if he had created his own harsh budget, the budget passed this week would have been a tinkered version of Cauthen's fantasy-world opening budget, and we would still be speeding on the path to financial ruin.

Another great stroke of leadership was to get behind the Hermann/Marcasson budget, even though it did not match up to some of his goals, such as putting 20 new cops on the streets, etc. Those are promises that will simply have to wait until our financial house is in better order, and a great leader is one who recognizes and supports solid work by others. Hermann and Marcasson crafted a solid budget based on financial reality, and Mark would have been foolish to let his version of the best become the enemy of the very, very good.

Remember a couple months ago, when people were actually talking about recall? Here we are, 8 weeks later, and we have a Mayor with more political capital than ever, a council with a dozen responsible members, and a budget that reflects our Mayor's values instead of our City Manager's fantasy world.

Sometimes, leadership means standing up alone in the howling storm and, through incredible feats of strength and courage, changing the future. If you were expecting Funkhouser to seize the podium at City Hall and, through a dominating personality and brimstone-filled speech, force the Council to accept a budget that was his, all his, you were probably one of those who wondered where Mark's leadership was this week.

Some people aren't very good at seeing beneath the surface.

Airick Leonard West Needs Your Vote

Personally, I doubt that Bill Eddy would do something as underhanded as to run a stealth campaign against Airick Leonard West, but the truth is that he has failed to withdraw from the race, and I have seen him chatting people up at an education forum.

Regardless, Airick Leonard West is the best candidate for the 1st District at-large seat, and he's being actively opposed by a few write-in candidates, and passively opposed by one incumbent. This race needs your vote for Airick Leonard West! Even Tony agrees.

Here's a video shot by a high school senior supporting Airick Leonard West:

A Heartbreaking Work Without a Shred of Genius

Over in St. Louis yesterday morning, one of my best friends lost her 18 year old son. Cancer prevailed in its second attack on his youthful body. He learned of his relapse after his first week of college this fall. His course of treatment since then has had its moments of optimism and pain and awful acceptance.

I've talked to his mother, my friend, only a couple times through it all. I've got nothing. She called me from an airport once between treatments, and I got her call while out fishing. It was a time of guarded optimism for them, and we chatted about the hospital in LA and how tough it was on her law practice, but she was soldiering on. The contrast in our situations crashed home to me, and the peaceful beauty of the trees and pond near sunset was all the more precious.

A couple weekends ago, I delivered Kansas City ribs to her home - her son never lost his appetite, and loved ribs. We sat in her kitchen for a few minutes and discussed politics and golf, and I left quickly to stay out of their hair. We barely mentioned David - he was asleep in the adjacent room, so we talked quietly.

There's absolutely nothing to do, beyond praying and enduring. She has family and closer friends - I play no role in helping her or her family. When we do talk, there's nothing to say, beyond "I'm sorry". Nothing will ease pain or make sense of it.

The little boy who sang with the cowboy guitar player at Devil's Pool has left this world. One of my favorite people in the world is wounded grievously, in ways I cannot even try to imagine.

I believe in the power of love and life, but this is a time and place when those powers seem puny and defeated.

Liberty Memorial Board Member Blows Smoke

I just about choked on my coffee this morning when I saw Tim Kristl, of all people, complaining about the budget cuts to Liberty Memorial and announcing that they are cutting the steam off on the Eternal Flame atop the phallus. Tim Kristl.

Tim Kristl, for those who don't know, is a symbol of city politics gone wrong. He was the punch line in the sick joke that was the Semler appointment - despite her flaws, nobody could say that she was the worst Parks Board appointee ever, because that title belongs to Mr. Kristl, and that trophy won't travel.

Mr. Kristl, a confidant of the former mayor, was one of the main paths to developer riches during the prior administration. Now that those developer incentives are draining the city treasury, the last person who ought to be complaining is Tim Kristl.

They say the birds will eventually come home to roost. Maybe they can roost on the flameless top of Liberty Memorial.

Liberal Blogger Gets Victimized by Socialized Medicine

John Aravosis of AMERICAblog had the misfortune of coming down with the flu in France, and needed to get a chest x-ray to rule out an infection. Go here to read about the expense and paperwork involved in this classic example of government bureaucracy interfering where the American free market would solve the problem.

Jeff Harris (Missouri's Next AG) Takes it Down a Notch

This is the Jeff Harris I have met and talked to. He's smart, funny, and a real person. He's going to be a great Attorney General.

(Update: Thanks to the code genius that fixed the video so it wouldn't automatically start up whenever you open the page.)

Take Evasive Action!

Via the best blogger in Kansas City, Blue Girl, Red State, comes the sad tale of a woman who was fatally shot by the second shot fired by her husband trying to punch holes through a wall so he could install satellite TV.

Folks, if you see bullets flying from your house, take evasive action. Don't get close enough to where the bullets are flying through the wall that you can be killed by a .22 handgun. Especially if you're married to the sort of guy who uses a .22 handgun as a handy substitute for the proper drill bit.

I can see how the first bullet flying might take you by surprise, but the second one?

Want to See a Lawyer About to Get Beaten?

I know there's a lot of anti-lawyer sentiment and belief in "frivolous lawsuits" out there, and 95% of it stems from massive disinformation campaigns conducted by insurance companies trying to tilt the playing field against ordinary victims. Once in a while, though, a lawyer will come along and get behind a cause so ridiculous that people can shake their heads and renew their false belief that our court system is clogged with frivolous lawsuits.

James Madison (that muffled clattering sound you hear is a forefather rolling over in his grave) is one such lawyer.

If you want to take a look at a lawyer on the wrong end of jurisprudence, here is a video of James Madison discussing his theory of why Anthony Trezvant's family ought to recover for the loss of their security-guard's-throat-stabbing son. In a nutshell, he argues that if the security guard had just let the thief get away, then the thief would not have stabbed him in the throat, and so the security guard would not have been in a position to need to shoot the thief to save his own life.

Folks, this is not the practice of law. This is an attempt to shake down the Price Chopper corporation for a quick settlement. Extortion is too strong a word to describe what Mr. Madison is attempting in organizing a protest against the Brookside Price Chopper, but that's where I would open up my Roget's Thesaurus in my search for the correct word.

Why is Mr. Madison organizing protests even before he files his lawsuit? I suspect he knows the lawsuit isn't really worth the filing fee, and he's hoping that Price Chopper will respond for PR reasons rather than legal reasons.

Mr. Madison deserves credit, though, for amending a timeworn bit of trial lawyer wisdom. When the law is against you, argue the facts. When the facts are against you, argue the law. When both are against you, organize a protest.

Awesome Beer and Food, and Blogging Awkwardness

Last night, to console ourselves for the end of our daughter's spring break trip home, we attended a Brewmaster's Dinner at 75th Street Brewery. Here's what was on the menu:

Pre-App
Smoked Trout in Phyllo Cups

Appetizer
Savory Chevre Crostinis
Roasted mushrooms and shallots atop griddled boxty, finished with melted goat cheese

Paired w/75th Street Brewery's Fountain City Irish Red

Soup
Scotch Broth
Traditional Irish lamb soup served with rye bread bowl

Paired w/75th Street Brewery's Belgian Double

Salad
Roasted Roots and Greens
Glazed baby carrots, parsnips, onions, sweet potatoes and leeks tossed with Mustard Greens and a Rosemary-Honey Vinaigrette

Paired w/75th Street Brewery's Saxy Golden Ale

Entrée
Braised Oxtail
Slow-roasted, red-wine-braised oxtail served with rutabaga-tripe oatcakes and apple mash

Paired w/75th Street Brewery's Muddy Mo Dry Irish Stout

Dessert
Lemon Posset
A chilled creamy lemon parfait

Paired w/Boulevard Brewing Company's Smokestack Series Saison

If you're thinking "Hey, that doesn't look like a proper meal for someone trying to do Weightwatchers . . .", yeah, you have a good point there, but it was worth the exercise and canned soup I'll be facing for the rest of the weak. The meal was fantastic, and featured brief explanations about the food and the beer. At $40/person, including tax and tip ($35 for Mug Club members), it was a bargain for that many courses paired with that many drinks. 75th Street will be doing these monthly, so get on their mailing list and check out the future menus.

As for the awkwardness, I happened to be seated next to an elected Johnson County Republican. When I introduced myself, he replied "I've heard of you somewhere . . .", and I could see him running through his mental rolodex. Fortunately, he didn't connect the dots, and we had a fine time enjoying food, beer, and apolitical discussion . . .

Welcome NAACP

The NAACP has decided to hold its convention in Kansas City in 2010, despite earlier concerns that it would move the convention elsewhere because of a controversial appointment to Kansas City's Parks Board.

It's great news for the city, and I'm sure that the credit belongs to dozens of great people working behind the scenes. I won't trumpet this as a grand victory for the Mayor, nor as a defeat for the people who stirred the pot of animosity and divisiveness so vigorously, because it really is neither. It is what it is - a welcome bit of good news and the culmination of years of good work by many, many people.

Airick Leonard West is Big (NY) Times

The Sunday New York Times is a treat, and yesterday it included a mention of Airick Leonard West. Even though it comes in an op-ed piece as meandering and shallow as the Platte River, it's always good to see a friend appear in one of those high-falutin' eastern newspapers . . .

The Sermon Saga - Why I Fear Disillusionment with Obama

Let's get one thing clear up front - I am 100% behind the Democratic nominee for President, be it Clinton or Obama. I believe either will be an effective president, and can begin the process of rebuilding our country's standing domestically and internationally after the debacle of the past 7 3/4 years. I lean toward Clinton, but that is solely because of my opinion that she is the more likely to win the general election.

The past week demonstrates that Obama's support is like a cumulus cloud - impressive to see, but vaporous in nature.

It all started with reports about his pastor and "spiritual advisor" of his campaign spouting off with racially charged negativity more fitting on a joke blog than on a pulpit. Obama fumbled his first responses to the criticism, and it blossomed into a full-blown media event, complete with incendiary video and hand-wringing right-wingers shocked, simply shocked, that a black man could find something to criticize in this enlightened land.

It was all so stupid and manufactured. Republicans get in bed with people who claim God launched Katrina as a terrorist attack on us, and nobody raises an eyebrow. But if a loud, scary black preacher says something to provoke some thought and wake up the back pews, we have ourselves a genuine crisis.

But, sadly enough, it's working. For the first time in a month, Clinton has a statistically significant lead over Obama in national polls. Closer to home, the flap has caused Obama's margin of loss to McCain to mushroom from 6% to 14%.

The point is that when we are able to look at Obama as a fresh-faced, energetic symbol of our hopes and dreams for a new America, he's a winner. But when he turns out to be a real person with crazy friends and questionable decisions, his support dissipates rapidly. If people are supporting Obama because of an illusion that he will single-handedly transform us into a united, peace-loving, tolerant nation, I can assure you that the Republicans will supply us with plenty of DISillusion before November.

If a little videotape of a preacher caused an 8% swing in Obama's performance in Missouri, what will be left after Karl Rove gets finished with him?

And what will that do to the Democratic party's gains in Missouri?

Insiders (No, Literally, Insiders!) Want to Keep Control

One of the rites of Jackson County politics is the camp-out the night before the filing deadline for County races, in an attempt to gain the first spot on the ballot. This year, the silliness fell apart into a display of temper, whining, and favoritism. None of those things are new to Jackson County politics, but it's disheartening to see them displayed so prominently in the pregame show.

The dirty secret is that people who have connected friends, or who are incumbents, get to enter the building early. Simply stated, the system is unfair and undignified. Jackson Countians deserve a better system.

Theresa Garza Ruiz has a better way. She is proposing a lottery system, so that ballot position is decided by chance among those who file on the first day. “It needs to be a level playing field, and this is the way to do it," Ruiz claims. This is the same system that created rare agreement in the thread about the Sheriff's race that sprung up (strangely enough) under my post about Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island.

Of course, it's impossible to disagree with her, right?

Not surprisingly, a few "insiders" prefer the system that makes regular people wait out in the cold. Henry Rizzo and Dan Tarwater have said that the current system works fine for people with special courthouse access, and, since they have it, they see no need to change.

“The only ones unhappy about it are the ones who couldn’t get in early to file,” said Dennis Waits, the chairman of the legislature. In other words, who cares about the losers that don't have Dennis Waits to sneak them in the back door?

The current legislators have courthouse access, but the rest of us don't. They and their friends have an advantage that they have used to play games with our ballots. We should not allow their gamesmanship to continue.

The proposal by Ruiz is a sensible one. She is taking a small but important step against cronyism and "insider" politics (literally). Any legislator who opposes this proposal announces clearly that he is prefers insider games.

GUEST EDITORIAL - Blunt Punt

Regular readers have probably noticed some sharp exchanges between "Whistleblower" and me. We both have strong opinions about judicial selection, and those opinions differ on the merits of the Missouri Plan.

The first principal for both of us, though, is that we want a great judiciary, and that's why I'm thrilled that he sent the following editorial to me for publication. Read, react, and call Governor Blunt and tell him to do his job.

Without further adieu, here is Jim Byrne, a/k/a "Whistleblower":

The Blunt Punt

On Friday, December 14th 2007, Governor Blunt appointed Judge Joseph Dandurand to the Western District Court of Appeals. Judge Dandurand left an already overburdened docket in Missouri’s 17th Circuit. However, in the nearly ninety days since, the Governor has failed to appoint a successor. The word on the street is that the Governor does not intend to appoint a replacement, at least not within a reasonable period of time. (If waiting until after an election, even a primary, was an acceptable delay, that is what the voters would have mandated.)

The caseload in Johnson and Cass Counties continues to increase. (The 17th is a two county circuit.) Court dates are set at almost six months in the future.

The Governor’s Office has interviewed a number of qualified applicants for appointment, however, prior to the interviews; the Governor never indicated that he would delay appointment.

Governor Blunt has put the lives of the litigants, and of those with a desire to fill the seat left by Judge Dandurand, on hold. While efforts in the courts are aimed at decreasing the time to complete cases, the Governor seems to be promoting the opposite. The qualified candidates that interviewed with the Governor’s Office have also been forced to place their lives on hold. A lawyer does not want to acquire new clients with the intent of not representing them.

In Missouri, we have just enough judges to get the job done. When a position becomes available, the Governor has a duty, and a responsibility to his constituents, to fill that position in a timely manner. The citizens of Missouri granted the Governor the authority to make these appointments, rather than wait for elections, because of the need for timely replacements to an empty seat on the bench. It’s time to turn up the heat. As e-mails to constituent services are notoriously ignored, I recommend a phone call to the Governor’s Office at (573) 751-3222.

Remind the Governor that even though he has decided that he has “achieved virtually everything that [he] set out to accomplish and more”, and therefore, decided not to run for a second term, he should continue to do his job in the interest of the citizens of Missouri, or resign, and let someone that is willing to do the job take his place. As governor of our state, he is charged with protecting and acting in the best interests of the citizens of Missouri. Clearly, it is not in the best interests of our state when the governor ignores his duty.

If you had claimed that I would be favorably publishing a post by Whistleblower, I would have thought you were anticipating an April Fool's joke, but what's right is right, and Whistleblower is absolutely right about this.

Obligatory Irish Joke . . .

From a contributor:

A month ago, I found a story in the paper noting that a man in Scotland dug down 10 ft. and discovered copper wire. This, he declared, was proof that Scotland had a telecommunications network established over 100 years ago.

Two weeks later, a story appeared in the paper about a man in England digging down 20 ft. and discovering copper wire. This, he declared, was proof that England had a telecommunications network established over 200 years ago.

Just this morning, an article appeared in the paper proclaiming that an Irishman had dug down 30 ft. and discovered absolutely nothing.
This, he declared, was proof that Ireland hand already gone wireless over 300 years ago.

This Is What I Voted For

Despite numerous distractions along the way, I've never lost faith in the fundamental premise of why I voted for Mayor Funkhouser. It's paying off.

His handling of the budget mess has been masterful. First, he didn't play the "hide the cards" game of his predecessor. As soon as he got the structurally imbalanced budget from Wayne "I fixed the imbalance on my resume" Cauthen, he shared it with the rest of the Council, in a good faith effort to allow them to be fully informed and up to speed.

Then, he called on Cauthen to propose how to eliminate the $78 million imbalance immediately. Of course, Cauthen groused about it and proposed an unworkably harsh budget, but it got everyone's attention. Business as usual is dead, and everyone knows it.

Now, it's time for hard choices. Funk has the city talking about them - facing financial reality as the economic picture turns dark. He's come up with a way to get 20 more cops, focus on basic services, and improve our codes enforcement, but it's not easy, and it's not ribbon-cutting that is going to get us there.

Funk promised to work toward a city that works for regular folks. I look at his budget, and I think he's leading us toward that goal. Given the enormous stakes (Moody's has changed our credit outlook from stable to negative), I'm happy that we've moved past the "Don't Tax, but Spend Lavishly" atmosphere celebrated by the TIF pigs running the show for the past several years.

This is the hard work of governing, and Funkhouser has rolled up his sleeves. Thank you, Kansas City, for electing him.

Why I Love Blue Girl

Kansas City is blessed with a bunch of great bloggers (many of whom came out for Viable Third last night), but nobody leaves me thinking "I wish I had written that!" more often than Blue Girl, who posts most regularly at Blue Girl, Red State.

Her most recent jealousy-inspiring post came on Thursday, when she dissected Claire "What Would Jim Talent Do?" McCaskill's most recent betrayal of America in a post entitled "McCaskill lets me down yet again".

I won't summarize it here - just go read it, and when you're there, add her site to your bookmarks. If you want to read more of my adulation of her, go read my blogger appreciation of her.

I Can't Give 100% Anymore

As of this morning, I've lost 10% of the weight I hauled into the Weightwatchers office 9 weeks ago.

It's funny how eating sensibly and exercising a little bit can make a difference, even without giving up beer or the occasional indulgence . . .

A Local Blogger Having a Real Impact - Please Come Out Friday to Support Needed Change

I've written about Airick Leonard West and the Viable Third website in the past, as well as his campaign for the school board. Tomorrow evening (Friday, March 14), several of us are planning a get-together to honor the first anniversary of the most creative local use of the blogging medium.

We'll have food and drink available at Harper's 18th & Vine restaurant, proudly in the 3rd District, at 18th and Vine (yes, you suburbanites, it's safe!). The party starts at 5, and will end abruptly when Law School Bound and I reprise our performance of Paradise By the Dashboard Light - which, I promise, won't be until late in the evening . . .

In all seriousness, please drop by and chat with Airick Leonard West and Dr. Robyne Turner, the creators of Viable Third. If you believe that good people can make a difference in Kansas City, come discuss your ideas and prepare for a shot of hope, practical optimism, and inspiration.

Leave a note in the comments if you have any questions, or if you would like an e-vite sent to your email account.

This is Handy for Me

In the past, I've gushed over the free music available from the SXSW Festival in Austin. As I age, I find it harder and harder to find music by new (to me) artists, and the prospect of hundreds of free singles to try out legally is a great opportunity.

This year, things are even better. Not only is there 48 hours worth of music to download, but we are blessed with a critic's 6 word review of each one of the 763 songs.

Here are a few samples of the reviews:

Amy Cook: You can love Neko Case too much.
Beangrowers: Girls with herpes love this song.
David Garza: His snotty girlfriend makes him anxious.
Greta Gaines: Sometimes “singer-songwriter” tells you everything.
Parts & Labor: The Island of Misfit Toys Orchestra.

Go have fun, and report back on any great music you find . . .

This Must Be Handy for Him

Was Mary Ann the Pusher on Gilligan's Island?

Mary Ann, the sweet, innocent farm girl of my adolescent dreams, was caught with pot a couple weeks ago. Back in 1998, she was rumored to be Bob Denver's supplier when he got busted.

Bar Owners Agree - Vote Yes on Question 3 - Ban Stink in Bars!

Alright, the headline may be a bit of an exaggeration. But I just spent a little time looking at the Campaign disclosure forms from the Kansas City Business Rights Coalition, and I'm not seeing much evidence of panicked bar owners trying to stave off disaster. In fact, fewer than 20 local bars have bothered to pay the $50 membership fee for the group that is campaigning to prevent clean air in bars. Even one of the three bar owners featured on the committee's website has failed to bother writing his fifty dollar check to join. Priorities, priorities.

Who can blame him? Everybody knows that smoking is bad for the health of everyone stuck smelling the second hand smoke. Everyone knows that bar owners have chosen to participate in a regulated industry, and have no more "right" to continue poisoning their customers than anyone else. Everyone who has visited a city with a smoking ban knows that there are plenty of thriving bars around - the only difference is you can visit them and emerge without smelling like an ashtray.

In short, everyone knows that Question 3 deserves our support, and will make Kansas City a better place to live.

I'm guessing here, but I suspect most bar owners don't like being shills for tobacco companies. About 90% of the money for group comes from huge, out-of-state, multi-national tobacco companies - not the Kansas City businesses featured in the group's name.

If the bar owners' claims about closing bars and firing employees were true, don't you think that more than 20 of them would fork over fifty bucks to prevent it?

Oh, Never Mind . . .

This cartoon is shamelessly borrowed from Ancillary Adams (an old favorite), who copped it from The Monkey Cage (a new favorite), who liberated it from XKCD.

Over the weekend, I was prepared to politely correct one of my fellow liberal bloggers, a devotee of exclamation points, demands and red fonts, who had made several flawed and over-wrought points in a row. Then I looked and saw that, if I bothered to do so, I would have been the only commenter on the page.

So, never mind. If a blogger makes a goofy argument and nobody responds, does it matter?

Welcome to the Blog World, John Burnett

State Representative John Burnett has started to publish a blog called the Jeff City Report. Most politicians make lousy bloggers, because they try to avoid saying anything that could avoid offending anyone. Fortunately, the Kansas City area is blessed with two politicians who put out first-class blogs - Fresh Meat and now Jeff City Report.

In judging blogs, I look for lively commentary, reasonably open commenting, and regular updating. What other blogs by elected officials rank among your favorites?

Let's Make Recall Day the Ultimate KC Holiday!

Darn it! I had planned to do a thorough, analytical piece about the Funkhouser Recall effort on March 3, the day that the recall petitioners were due to turn in their petitions. Of course, they quit gathering signatures when they realized that the general consensus of the Kansas City populace was to give Mayor Funkhouser more time to fulfill his agenda for the city. While I had mentally calendared Monday for a retrospective on the effort and all the hot air it had generated, even I forgot about the whole thing in 30 days.

It's a sad thing to let such an important date pass without notice.

From here forward, I think that March 3rd should be a holiday in Kansas City. Every March 3, we can gather on Recall Day and remember all the anti-climaxes of the prior year. We can celebrate all those grand days we were promised, but never enjoyed.

March 3 would have been a perfect day to celebrate the October non-opening of the Cordish Power and Light District. The Recall Day Festivities could have included a wistful tribute to Superintendent Amato's plans for the Kansas City Metropolitan School District, cut short by a too-hasty school board. The highlight of the day could be a free professional hockey match and basketball game at the Sprint Center - shown on the jumbo screens, broadcast from other arenas around the country, in cities with anchor tenants.

A wise friend of mine explained Kansas City's penchant for non-accomplishment in the light of history. "Kansas City was settled", he pointed out, "by people who left the East on their way to California. When they got to Kansas City and looked out over the vast prairie separating them from the Promised Land, they said, 'Aww, what the heck? This is good enough.' We are the offspring of people who had a grand plan, but only followed it half the distance."

Recall Day could become the ultimate Kansas City holiday - a civic recognition of the "almosts" that fill up our public and private lives. Two months after New Years' Resolutions, tourists would flock to our city to join with others who haven't gotten around to losing that weight, learning that language, or exercising regularly. Kansas City would be known world-wide as a Mecca for good intentions, bold dreams and persistent non-accomplishment.

Maybe we should circulate a petition to get the City Council to make Recall Day a huge event . . .

99 Bottles of Beer on the Blog - Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock

Way back in the dark days of beer, when a fancy import was a Heineken and a well-crafted American beer was a Michelob, the story spread that doppelbock beer was simply the dregs from the barrels of "normal beers", as if it was dark sludge that somehow sank like mud to the bottom of a pond.

Slander! Quite the opposite, a doppelbock beer at its best is a clean, carefully brewed lager, high in alcohol and rich in malt flavor. Brewed as "liquid bread" by German monks to sustain themselves through Lenten days of fasting, when the ban on solid food was made merciful by the flowing of an extra-strong, chewy lager.

Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock is a great example of the style. Released on Fat Tuesday, it carries on a great tradition of "-ator" named doppelbocks, in homage to the original Salvator Doppelbock.

Originally brewed by the Paulaner monks in the mid-1600s, Salvator Doppelbock was viewed as such a wonderful indulgence that some of the more worry-prone monks thought it wise to gain papal approval for drinking this liquid bread during Lent. So, they sent a barrel of it to the Vatican, for the Pope to sample. Sanitation and refrigeration in the 17th century were non-existent, and, when the Pope finally tasted the soured, nasty beer, he deemed it an appropriate drink for those doing penance during Lent, and, thus, the monks of Paulaner were given specific Papal approval to brew and drink Salvator during a season when everyone else was suffering.

Bell's Celebrator pours a wonderfully clear dark golden brown with a reddish tinge - almost a copper color. It offers up a rich head, but that dissipates relatively quickly, as is common in high-alcohol beers. At 8% alcohol, this is no chugging beer. The alcohol adds a warm spiciness to a solidly malty beer. Just enough bittering hops to keep the beer from being overly sweet, but little to no hop flavor. Malt is the star of this show, and the mouthfeel is chewy. The malt tastes a bit like toffee, and the spiciness comes across with a flavor I would describe as almost cinnamony - the flavor comes across a bit in the aroma, as well.

There may be better doppelbocks out there - indeed, you can purchase a bottle of the original in most decent liquor stores. But Bell's ranks way up there with any of them, and the fact that it was so recently released means that you can count on a fresh example of a fine beer when you pop open the bottle. And your doppelbock will be a far better experience than the Pope's was.

The Interrupted Election - Too Soon Success

I woke this morning to the news that incumbent Bill Eddy has dropped his bid for the Kansas City Missouri School District, clearing the way for Airick Leondard West to take over the seat.

Normally, this would be great news. I was backing Airick Leonard West as soon as he announced his candidacy, and, even before that, I had written of my admiration of his "audacious and simple" attempts to improve life in The Viable Third. I am a sponsor for a fundraiser for Airick tonight.

So, why am I disappointed in Airick's premature success?

Because this race was never about defeating Bill Eddy. Indeed, I appreciate Bill Eddy - he's one of the good people on the Board with his eye steadfastly on the prize of improving education for Kansas Citians. And, oddly enough, my enthusiastic support of Airick Leonard West would not have been hugely disappointed if he lost his election - so long as he ran a good race and made people think about the KCMSD as their issue in their community.

Without the urgency and drama of an election, it will be easier to put the KCMSD in the back of our minds, and view the problems and crises of our School District as someone else's issues. If you don't happen to have a child in the School District, you can shake your head and blame the problems on others. If you do have a child in the District, you can do your best to get him or her into one of the best schools, and ignore the bigger problems.

That's the status quo that Airick Leonard West was running to upset. Airick Leonard West was running against the apathetic, uninvolved, utterly divested status quo - not against Bill Eddy.

And that is why I hope (and suspect) the campaign is not over. I hope that the fundraisers and rallies on Airick Leonard West's calendar become Community forums, and those of us who were willing to call friends to attend those fundraisers will call those same friends to come out and discuss a vision for the future of the KCMSD.

Often, candidates are urged to declare victory before the decision is complete. In this instance, Airick Leonard West cannot declare victory, even though the battle has been won, because his opponent was never on the ballot. His opponent was apathy and the feeling of many Kansas Citians that the KCMSD is not their problem. Indeed, Bill Eddy's withdrawal from the race has strengthened Airick Leonard West's real opponent, and I hope the real campaign continues . . .

Donnelly, Harris & Koster Together

The hottest primary in the state is between Margaret Donnelly, Jeff Harris and Chris Koster. They bring different backgrounds and visions to the race. The three of them will appear together on May 22 at a debate sponsored by the Committee for County Progress, free and open to the public, at White Recital Hall on the campus of UMKC. The event is currently scheduled to start at 6, though that could change. If so, I'll post a notice here. The debate will be moderated by Steve Kraske, of The Kansas City Star, Eric Wesson, from The Call, and Mike Mahoney, from KMBC-TV9.

Here's a pdf flier for the event.

This is the only joint appearance scheduled for the Western side of the state, and it should offer a great opportunity to meet and hear the candidates for yourselves.