Ethics in government?

I follow 44th District Congressman Jason Kander on Facebook (yes, Facebook) and find today that he wrote an "As I See It" column that was printed in The Kansas City Star this morning.

It is excellent.

In it, he very succinctly calls for ethics legislation for all the representatives out of Jefferson City.

Hallelujah. Amen, brother.

A couple examples:

"Missouri’s “anything goes” system of campaign finance seems designed to promote, not deter, laundering of political contributions. It is common practice by many Missouri politicians to shuffle funds from one political action committee to another to “wash” contributions and mask their source."

"We should ban committee-to-committee donations and make it a felony to transfer political money for the purpose of hiding the original donor."

For me, as I said on his FB page earlier today, the topper was when the Republicans took down all limits on campaign contributions.

That was terrific if you're a corporation or just simply filthy rich (and I mean filthy). This way, you can virtually, if not actually, buy any regulation or bill in government you want--or think you need.

On top of that, you can certainly help any friend and crony you want get elected so, again, you can get whatever legislation you decide you and/or your business needs.

Poor? Middle-class? Sure, you're screwed but for the wealthy and, again, businesses, you're in. You have it made. Truly the finest government your money can buy.

So kudos to you, Representative Kander. Good on ya', mate. We're with you. Keep pushing for higher ethics standards and ethics reform.

Let's help clean up Jefferson City and our government.

Hey, I can dream, can't I?

Link to story: http://www.kansascity.com/618/story/1592164.html

Not only is Michael Moore right about US health care but an insurance executive says he is

An open letter to Senator Christopher "Kit" Bond

Senator Bond,

We need to make it clear that we not only want true, comprehensive health care reform in our country, we need it--and we need it badly.

We need the single-payer option--but apparently aren't going to get it--and we need the public option for insurance and aren't likely to get that, either.

Lots of us don't have health insurance out here, Senator, because health care costs here in the States are the highest in the world, as we all know.

Lots more of us can barely afford our health care for the same reason.

We need help, Senator.

We need your help.

We need you to vote for health care reform when it comes up for a vote soon.

We know you're not likely to give it to us because you don't want this President or his party to succeed, for fear of your own party's failure, but it's the right thing for the country and for its citizens, and your constituents

It's the right thing, Senator, it's worth repeating.

Vote for health care reform, Senator Bond.

Do the right thing.

We need this help.

We need your help.

Sincerely,


____________________________

Now, go write Sen. Bond. You can do that here: http://bond.senate.gov/public/

On the City Manager being ousted

Forgive me, folks. I was out of town for a few days on business.

Some catching-up now:

I leave town for a couple of days and find the City Manager has been ousted?

Holy cow.

Sure, there was no love between the Mayor, it was known,but thrown out, just like that?

I read the article in The Kansas City Star about this thing and it has flags all over it. Following are some questions:

1) Why did Mr. Cauthen have to go? What did he do? Was it just poor work or was there something(s) inappropriate? Or both? I can't believe nothing has been said on this--and there should be. The Star needs to step up to the table and report on this very question.

2) The replacement is from podunk Marengo, Iowa?? Population 2,500?? Are you kidding me? To run Kansas City, Missouri?

3) The replacement guy was also hired without a current resume' or an interview, according to the Star. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?? I can't get hired to walk dogs without both of these things. How did this hayseed from corn-country get hired to run a city of Kansas City's size without both of the above?? "Oh, you do your job okay so I guess you can run the city, at least for a while, if you will. And while you're at it, here's $3,600.00 a week. Will that do?"

4) This is the perfect story for the Star. Is the newspaper researching this stuff, to find the answers?

5) Was or is anything remotely inappropriate (read: illegal) about this done or involved in any way--either the ouster or the new-hire?

And, just like when we fire our School Superintendents, it looks as though this is going to cost us around $250,000.00 to pay Cauthen to go away. But what the heck, it's just money, right? And in the meantime, we'll be paying the new guy the equivalent of $187,200.00 a year to possibly learn the job. And do a good one, it's hoped.

There are more questions to be asked, for sure, but I'll stop here. That's plenty for right now.

Stay tuned.

Links to stories: http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/1584137.html

http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/1587348.html

In praise of a newspaper

Having just flown from Kansas City to Birmingham, Alabama, via Chicago, I have to say the Chicago Tribune is a good, old-fashioned, well-written, well-researched newspape with lots of traditional, local stories and information.

It's a pleasure to read, even for those of us outsiders like me, someone not from Chicago. It had terrific stories about local people and their problems and issues.

Simplify! Simplify!

With a nod to Henry David Thoreau.

On a business flight today, I read an article in the in-flight magazine about a new trend in for runners and their running shoes.

The trend stems from research that finds that, since the 1930's, our speed runners have been running slower and slower, first, and second, virtually all runners have been experiencing more and more injuries. (For more information, see Christopher McDougall, "Born to Run").

What's that tell you?

It seems the running shoe companies have been making our shoes more and more complicated, technical and expensive with the result that it's worse for us and our feet.

Crazy.

Fit in with our current economic downturn, it seems we've come upon a time where we're to simplify. My Mom would have loved this if she were here.

So, herewith, are some thoughts on how we could and should, possibly, simplify further:

--How about we take all the chemicals out of our food? For thousands of years, we've and eaten our our food without them. It's only been in the last 50 years that we've introduced them to our food and lives and it hasn't been with good results. Can we agree on that? Does cancer mean anything to these corporations?

--How about taking our cattle out of the mud and feces-loaded feed lots, with the idea that we'll have less deadly e coli in our food?

--Could we take BPA out of our plastic food service pieces (utensils, cups, etc.). It's thought--strongly--to cause problems with our children's develpment, at minimum.

There's a few thoughts.

There are a lot more, I'm sure. Stay tuned.

Link: http://health.usnews.com/blogs/on-fitness/2009/04/28/born-to-run-christopher-mcdougall-says-humans-evolved-to-run-like-the-tarahumara.html

Missouri ranks what?

There is a Forbes poll out just now on the healthiest and unhealthiest states.

The healthiest are, by and large--no surprise--in the Northeast with Hawaii right in there.

Iowa at 15.

Neighbor Nebraska? Not bad at 16 out of 50.

Kansas? 24. Again, not too shabby.

Missouri?

Oops.

38.

In the bottom half, for sure.

Not only that but we're also in the "bottom 10" when examining obesity, overall.

Then there's smoking and Missouri burns that one (no pun intended) by coming in dead last (again, no pun intended) at 50.

The only way that looks good is if you compare us to neighbor Oklahoma who, at 49, are only worse off than nearly-always-at-the-bottom Mississippi.

Ow.

Link: http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/16/unhealthy-healthy-states-lifestyle-health-states-top_chart.html?partner=yahoohealth

Mohler case just gets worse and worse

As if this whole Mohler family incest/rape case, with the father and sons all doing God knows what to relatives couldn't get any worse, it just did.

It seems now they're accused of murder, too, according to The Kansas City Star.

"The Mohler case took a bizarre twist with new documents indicating that the young child victims allegedly were forced by their father to help kill a man abducted from his driveway."

Yi. How horrible.

Why couldn't this have not happened?

Or happened in some other state, anyway?

Link: http://www.kansascity.com/679/story/1575436.html

Oh, yeah, that seems fair, for sure

http://www.kansascity.com/679/story/1573135.html

Protesting over what?

Wouldn't it be nice if the local clergy--and everyone else--who has their bowels in an uproar over the clothing policy issue at the downtown Power & Light District were as upset and giving as much energy to the killings that have gone on in town for the past year also?

I mean, come on. Sure, go protest about some real or imagined discrimination but if your own people are being killed in drive-by shootings and whatever, isn't the murder rate much more of an important issue than someone not letting you in a bar because of your clothes?

Let me be clear here, too. I am absolutely not defending any discrimination that may or may not be going on downtown. I don't defend anyone's discrimination, anywhere so don't accuse me of that.

I'm just saying if you're going to protest clothing, where were these groups last summer, when people were shooting and frequently killing people in their own homes and front yards?

And where will they be next summer, when it starts all over again?

Does this strike anyone as hypocritical?

Link to stories: http://www.kctv5.com/news/21621538/detail.html

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Group-Protests-Dress-Code-at-P-L-District/jK20e3uhw0unJGKxBaLbPQ.cspx?rss=764

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/story/1570708.html

The Star is "SHOCKED"--but for the wrong reason, it seems

Once in a while, these things almost write themselves. This is one of those.

The front page of The Kansas City Star has a big headline today: "SHOCKING INCREASE IN DEATHS".

So I'm thinking, great, they're finally covering the senseless murders city-wide.

Wrong.

It's an article about a big upswing, they say, in deaths by drunk drivers.

WTF?

Are you kidding me?

It seems there are a whopping 36 deaths this year, so far, in people being killed by drunk drivers. And sure, that's terrible and a tragedy. Heck, I've been nearly killed twice by drunken drivers so it's not as though I don't sympathize.

But they're "SHOCKED" about 36 deaths by drunken drivers.

I don't believe they've yet expressed any of that same shock over the 98 senseless, ugly, vicious murders by weapons here in the city.

And sure, it's not as big an increase in deaths by weapons but it is an increase.

It would seem that people shooting people would be a worse, and more senseless, tragic issue about which to be shocked.

Then, I went further into the article, back on page A10 and suddenly you realize a disparity.

Check out all the pictures of the people killed by these drunk driving tragedies.

See a pattern?

Yeah. I thought so.

They're all white.

So The Star is "SHOCKED" a big upswing in deaths by drunk drivers amounting to 36 but they're not upset about an upswing (admittedly smaller but an upswing) of 98 murders by weapons.

I would love to know what the statistics are of the percentage of people who have been murdered this year in Kansas City and what percentage of them were White, African-American and Hispanic. I think it could be illuminating.

I'm certainly not saying The Star shouldn't have reported on this increase in deaths by drunk drivers, not at all. I'm just saying that the much bigger story is the nearly 100 deaths by weapons.

If The Star would get together with the police and the East side of town--the whole community of churches and associations and groups of people who want to fight the deaths by guns and gun violence--they could write a series of articles about the problems and a) possibly solve the problems and b) increase readership.

It's a thought.

For clarification, I have to say, I don't take the newspaper any longer and I may have missed a big, recent article covering these shootings and killings but I don't think I have. There was one--last Spring?--on the murders in one area code (64012?) in Kansas City but that's been it since, I believe.

This just seemed like an odd, possibly unfair and obvious discrepancy in reporting for the paper.

I know people will let me know if I'm wrong--or if they think I am.

Link: http://www.kansascity.com/637/story/1570597.html

We want THEM to agree to arms control??

There is a report out right now that President Obama is over in Asia, pushing for the Russians (or do we call them Soviets?) to agree to arms control.

My first reaction was stunned disbelief.

Do you have any idea what the United States spends annually on arms?

Seven hundred eleven billion dollars per year.

We spend forty-eight percent of all international dollars on arms, every year.

The Soviets?

They spend $70 billion dollars.

If you do the math, you'll find that's 5% of the total funds spent per year on arms.

And we're asking them to cut back?

What chutzpah.


Links: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091114/ap_on_re_us/obama

http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending#InContextUSMilitarySpendingVersusRestoftheWorld

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures

For the weekend

Music is, for some artists, now not all just about the music--it has become performance art and about the performance. This, I think, is proof of that.

Have a great weekend, y'all.

More reasons why, maybe, we should also "come down a few notches"?

Thanks to Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and his blog for this.

Maybe we need to come down a few notches?

Because the average guy and gal on the street isn't really thinking about the "big picture" of the American economy, maybe we should.

Let me propose an idea, folks, that some economists are batting around that has to do with you and I, directly, in our country and the world.

There is a theory out there that proposes that maybe you and I make too much money, spend too much and live too high on the hog, so to speak, and that maybe we need to bring it down to the rest of the world's level.

Yeah.

It's called our "standard of living." You've heard of that.

The ideas are that maybe you and I and the whole country live beyond our means and both cost too much (we're paid too highly per hour, etc.) and spend too much.

Think about it.

It's virtually impossible to deny that we--both as a group (read: a country) and as individuals (people individually and per households)--are in way too much debt so I think we can safely take that for granted.

The one, last part of this to consider is that maybe we do, as a nation and individuals, maybe make too much money, especially compared to the rest of the world.

And this is the tricky--and unpleasant--part.

Maybe what we do isn't all that special, and that much above what all the rest of the world does and makes. Sure, we used to make GM cars and all that but we know we've put most of our manufacturing offshore.

And when you put this all in the context of our debt and this huge downturn in the economy, with the Federal government trying to spend our way back to where we used to be and propping up not only huge manufacturing sectors of our economy but also banks and financial and insurance institutions, it gets to looking as though this may be true.

Those economists who are discussing these thoughts and issues are suggesting that maybe our government shouldn't, in fact, be throwing $700 billion in TARP money at us, in an effort to prop up our economy and economic way of life.

Sure, they should keep us out of a true economic depression in the shape of the 1930's but we're already in huge debt. Does it make sense to get and put us in much, much deeper debt, instead of letting this business cycle play out a bit more?

Are we, perhaps, setting ourselves up for a much worse situation by doing this?


But no one wants to think on these things--with the exception of economists.

Granted, if we did or do "ratchet ourselves down," it would be painful. Incredibly painful. We'd have to look at ourselves and our country in a completely new way.

For decades, we've thought of ourselves as rather wealthy, even by our own standards. There was nothing we couldn't have, if we only worked hard enough. Hell, our billboards, radios and televisions told us all this, ad infinitum. Why would we think or believe anything else?

And we really did believe, as Michael Douglas' character--Gordon Gekko--in the movie "Wall Street" said, that "greed is good", whether we want to believe that or not.

So, if this is true, that we have to lower our standards, that is, lower our wages, lower our purchases (and we're already doing that, as a nation, check it out), lower, really everything, it's going to likely be painful.

And the more we fight it and push this possible, even likely, possibility away, the more painful it will be.

Denial makes things worse, especially in these matters.

If this isn't all true, the data sure makes it look this way. Stay tuned.

Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094291/
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/

Side note: Tip of the hat to Michael on this. We've been discussing this for a couple years. I've been meaning to write on it for some time. Thanks.

Fair trial?

Think about this:

How likely is it, do you think, that this Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan--the guy reported to have shot and killed 13 people at Fort Hood earlier this week, and injuring many more--is going to get a truly fair trial?

Really.

First, it was virtually immediately decided he's going to be tried in a military court.

That's a huge strike against him right there.

How open-minded are most people in the military going to be towards this guy?

Then, get this--he's also to be tried, so far, anyway--at the same Fort Hood where this all took place.

Right.

And then, it's only a few days since this horrible tragedy took place but think how much media coverage this has aleady gotten.

As proof of what I'm saying here, in general, and the media point, above, in specfic, check out what was released in an article on this today:

"The National Security Agency intercepted 10 to 20 communications over the past year between Maj. Hasan and Mr. Awlaki, who knew three of the Sept. 11 hijackers and hailed Maj. Hasan as a 'hero' after the shootings."

Don't most of us already have opinions on this guy and his case?

Sure we do. Don't kid yourself otherwise.

His attorney already says he's not getting what would be normal, fair treatment for even himself, as the guy's attorney, let alone the Major.

Then add to it that he's Muslim with a very Muslim and foreign-sounding name and you get the picture.

I didn't mention that they're going for the death penalty and on 13 counts.

I'm not saying we need to be all soft and forgiving on this, by any means.

All I'm saying is that he should be given a fair trial.

Remember those?

We used to always insist that was the type trials we had in the United States.

Link to story:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125804778767245615.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird

They had no idea how right they were--or would be, in time to come

Cleaning up emails

I have at least three beefs about emails people send me:

First, can people not clean these things up, before they send them?

For the love of pete, people, take off all the 1,000 old email addresses on it before you send it.

Sheesh.

All of you look really stupid, having your email addresses on these things promising "good things, if only you'll forward this email to 7 of your best friends, right away..."

Second, as for those addresses, has no one heard of, seen or used the "bcc" function for forwarding emails?

For the unaware, it means "blind copy". That way, you don't end up sending all those stupid email addresses for all your friends and family on to the other 10,000 people who are going to get that email.

Finally, really, if it's a stupid email--size it up, think about it--don't blindly send it on.

Don't forward insipid emails.

And if it is remotely superstitious--don't send it.

Don't.

Just don't.

Shawnee Mission East's "Grapes of Wrath"

 

The last thing I want to be is mean.

(Yes, I swear).

But someone needs to tell high school drama teachers that the last thing they should have their students do is put on a performance of "The Grapes of Wrath." That is, unless you want the audience to willfully go out, get or buy a gun and shoot themselves.

While a well-done production (the kids do a great job), this is painful, dark stuff, in any economy, but particularly now.

If you're up and want to come down, go see it.

If you're down and want to go further down, again, this is for you.

God bless their pea-pickin' little hearts.

How did we all seem to come to this conclusion?

 

There was a report today on "Morning Edition" on NPR about people in India supporting a multi-million dollar industry, lightening skin.

Yikes.

How sad.

This, on the news and pictures of Sammy Sosa who is reported to have lightened his skin--for whatever reason--much like, it seems, Michael Jackson, so many years ago.

It fascinates me that we, as a race, have, for the most part, most of us on the planet, come to the arbitrary decision that lighter skin is preferred.

I can understand one society or culture doing it--think the French in, what was it? The 1700's, to a ridiculous result and look?

But how did most of the planet decide lighter skin was "better"?

Really. I don't get it.

And what gets me now is that I thought we were beyond that.

There's a lot of us "pasty-whiteys" out here who would like to even be able to tan, let alone be a shade or two or three darker. The NPR article seems to suggest that, while we whiteys want to be darker, the Indian people want to be lighter. Another case of "I want what I don't have" syndrome, possibly.

As a species, we'd be much better off, sociologically and culturally, if we didn't assign any assumptions to the color or shade of our skin, to say the least.

And unless this is a really bad photo, how does Sammy think this is an improvement?

Link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120340646

Coming up on a centennial marker

The US broke its centennial barrier for broken banks a few weeks ago, with more than 100 now taken over by the FDIC and we have more, yet, to go.

Now, Kansas City is at 98 murders and closing in on its 100th soon, most likely.

It begs the question: What is Kansas City doing to curb these senseless shootings? What are we all doing? What is our community doing?

Why does it seem we care so little?

Link to story:
http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2009/11/killa_city_kcmo_homicide_no_98_one_dead_in_early_morning_shooting.php

Great things at the Nelson this weekend

 

This weekend, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (sounds stuffy, doesn't it?) is having an open house to celebrate the reopening of their American Indian Gallery.

I tell you, the things they're doing over there are just terrific. As I've said before, we're very lucky to have the Nelson here in town.

They redid the American Gallery (sounds like a competition--the "American Gallery" vs. the "American Indian Gallery") and the improvements were clear, obvious and wonderful.

I really look forward to this new change, this weekend. They don't seem to miss a mark when they improve over there.

And soon, next Spring, they are to reopen the Egyptian Gallery. That should brighten a grey and brown Kansas City winter, just when we need it.

So, this weekend, make sure you make it by the Nelson for the American Indian galleries Community Celebration Weekend.

While you're at it, don't forget having lunch or dinner at the Rozzelle Court--yet another way to enjoy the day at this local treasure.

Again--you may thank me later.

Link to more on the Nelson and the American Indian Gallery here:
http://www.nelson-atkins.org/art/AmericanIndian.cfm

Welcome back SOTL!

I say it again: Welcome back to State of the Line blog.

Frankly and honestly, I never knew about them while there were here and they left back in February but I see they're back.

And they look good.

I've always wanted a good blog to follow about Kansas City--one written here and about Kansas City--and I've followed a good photography blog (Hyperblogal's) but Tony's KC blog was all I could find.

And while Tony does, admittedly, do a pretty good job of keeping some things up to date, both his hating on Kansas City and those insipid, repeatedly shown pics of half-clad women kept driving me away. I felt like I was trying to keep up on and with the city by reading a blog written by a 15-year-old. (Sorry, Tony. I gave you some credit--repeatedly--for what you do but geez, get over the degrading, sexist shots, will you? I've asked several times).

So, again, welcome back SOTL! Good on ya'. Brief, concise, intelligent writing with some pics and video. I already like what I see.

If you haven't been there, go now:

http://stateoftheline.wordpress.com/

You may thank me later.

Gun laws in the US?

I've written, time and again, about our looney gun culture and our obsession with them and the shootings we end up with.

For more information on the subject, and in a rare case of re-posting, I put up the following, from Bill Mann and The Huffington Post, today:

Fort Hood Reminds Us: Our Gun Laws Are a National Disgrace

Our current lack of health insurance for all is a national disgrace. But so are our handgun laws -- or lack of them.

You'd think you might have heard a bit more about our heedless national pistolero mentality in the wall-to-wall TV coverage of the tragic shootings at Fort Hood this week. But no such luck. How many times have we seen this movie before? It's only the locations that change.

There was only scant mention in all the coverage that suspected mass murderer Nidal Hasan had bought his lethal cop-killer handgun at "Guns Galore" in nearby Killeen, Texas. How charming.

Why is it that comic Stephen Colbert seems to be the only one on national TV who regularly reminds us about this country's twisted love of handguns? (Colbert keeps his piece, "Sweetness," under his anchor desk, occasionally taking it out to smooch its barrel).

Something I've written in my newspaper columns about for years bears repeating here:

Any country with as many mentally ill people as the U.S. that allows virtually unlimited access to handguns is on a suicide mission.

Gun sickness is our most pressing national illness.

I live within sight of the Canadian border, and Americans who visit Canada are often surprised at how serious Canadian customs officials regard guns -- specifically, bringing them into relatively handgun-free Canada. Where are these people's priorities, they seem to be saying?

(Note: Canadian customs can -- and does -- turn people back at the border who have a DUI conviction. Again, different national priorities).

Canadians recognize handguns as a direct threat to civilized society, unlike here, where the NRA and the gun-toters evidently believe we're living in Tombstone, Ariz., circa 1885.

How many more mass shootings and troubled-loner gun sprees (what the New York Post calls "Slayfests") can we afford before we finally get serious about gun control? How much longer will network TV news continue to soft-peddle and play down this most basic issue?

I don't really care that much about what drove Hasan to apparently murder all those soldiers, which has been the prime focus of nonstop cable news. The fact is, he did. What I DO care about is how easy it was for him to get the means -- a lethal gun -- to do it.

Not to belabor the Canadian issue -- we Americans are, after all, the noisy, gun-toting downstairs neighbors -- but re-entering the U.S. after living in Canada for several years (which we did) was a maddening experience.

We lived a major metropolitan area, Montreal, for seven years. And even in the more disadvantaged parts of that city, you feel safe. You never feel you might get shot, either by a handgun-toting robber or a troubled loner.

Coming back into the United States you lose that peace of mind. It's like a slap in the face.

Don't believe me? Ask anyone else who's lived in a developed country in which handguns are restricted and can't be bought as easily as cigarettes.

We have millions of sick Americans who need health insurance. But there are even more of us who live in danger of being shot by an easy-to-obtain weapon. It's way past time for the media to pay attention to THIS life and death issue.
____________________

Great writing, Mr. Mann. Thank you for the logic, information and unimpassioned input.

(Side note to "Top of the Chain": We don't agree on this issue. You know it. I know it. I appreciate your reasonably calm writing but let's not go on about this. Let's agree to disagree. Thank you for reading, absolutely. In the meantime, several more people were shot and killed this weekend in Kansas City alone, on top of the Fort Hood slaughter and the shooting in Orlando last week).

We need to get a handle on energy speculation

I know the White House is busy, what with wars in two countries and health care reform and all that, but they'd better also be working on putting back regulation of energy speculation and speculators, too. If they don't, any economic recovery could get squelched quickly and simply, by rising prices that benefit a small group of those speculators.

There is a report out now, showing that gas is rising in price, due to the weak dollar and Hurricane Ida, in the Gulf of Mexico. (Good news there, at least--Ida was downgraded).

As long as oil speculation is left unregulated, people and businesses are going to try to make money on the rise in price.

This is crazy. I've written about this before and it's important.

The world economy is in a very weak, bad state but oil prices have been running up lately, prompting this observation:

"'In the real world, there is very little evidence that the underlying market fundamentals, both in the overall economy and more particularly in the oil market, are improving fast enough to justify these price levels,' said analysts at KBC Market Services in Britain."

And yet the price goes up because, again, there are people wanting to bid it up, to make money and these markets have been unregulated since 2000.

People and companies might buy up oil, counting on an increase in price, only to later sell it back on the market at the higher price, just for the gain. In the meantime, the airlines and energy companies and, ultimately, you and I pay higher prices just for their greed.

It's no way to run an energy market.

It's bad for individuals, rich and poor, around the world, but it's even bad for businesses.

This needs to get fixed, one day soon. We need the energy markets overseen, as they used to be, and as soon as possible.

If we don't, our economies the world over could come crashing back down--or even just be held back in any recovery--just because a small group of people want to benefit.

Here's hoping.

Link to story: http://www.kansascity.com/382/story/1557497.html

Yet another shooting spree

Yesterday it's a shooting rampage in Texas.

Today it's a shooting rampage in Orlando, Florida.

Just breaking news:

"Reports are coming in that 8 people were shot in a downtown high-rise in Orlando, Florida. The local news reports: All eight victims are trauma patients, the Fire Department said."

"Officers were dispatched to the Gateway Center office building just before noon on Friday after reports of a shooting."


"MSNBC reports that there are at least two people dead and no suspect in custody. The shootings took place on multiple floors of the office building. AP reports that the building is on lock down and surrounded."

"Police have surrounded a Florida high-rise after gun shots were reportedly fired."


To repeat: the answer to too many guns, killings and murders is not more guns.


Link to original story:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/06/gateway-center-shooting-a_n_348566.html

Not doing the Muslim faith--or Muslims--any favor

So here we go again, it seems.

One more incident, to the Western eye, of a Muslim man "going postal" in the world--this time in Fort Hood, Texas.

Any and every time some terrorist straps explosives to their body and blows themself up, whether they take anyone with them or not, if they are also Muslim, the opinion in the West is that these are desperately ignorant people.

In this case, unfortunately, US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan went on a shooting spree here in the States--at Fort Hood, Texas, just outside San Antonio.

The result?

At least 13 killed and 31 wounded.

And as usual, it makes no sense. It just ends up being another horrible, tragic event.

And the thing is, to the people of the United States and the West, this all too frequently looks like a pattern of a lack of education (read: ignorance), religious or otherwise zeal and virtually unthinkable violence, all rolled into one.

Leaders of the Muslim faith immediately came out to say that this is not the Muslim faith, fortunately--and of course--and that's good. But for too many people, they see these senseless, murderous acts repeated again and again and both don't like the results of them, naturally, and feel as though it's an ugly, ugly pattern that gets repeated far too frequently all around the world.

How do you deal with someone who thinks violence is an answer?

And the only answer, at that?

How do you deal with someone who has been taught by his elders (because most of them are men, in fact) that if they go on a successful suicide pact and kill "the enemy", they will go straight to "heaven"? Granted, that's not the case here regarding Major Hasan but that is the case for so many of the deaths in the Middle East.

How can we deal with a suicide mentality, locally, nationally and internationally?

In the case of this Major Hasan in Texas, it appears he was mentally unstable, as information comes out but it appears, given what information we have at this moment, that it also may have been borne out of religious fervor.

I hope that's not the case.

What's true is that religious leaders all around the world need to teach their followers in peace, acceptance and tolerance--not murder, death and suicide.


Link to story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_fort_hood_shooting_suspect

Yesterday's murder in South Kansas City

Yesterday, "at approximately 4pm, KCMO Police were called to 116 St and Holiday Dr in regard to the sound of gunshots. Upon arrival a shooting victim (b/m approx. 20yrs old) was located in the street with no signs of life. He was pronounced dead a short time later."

"Witnesses state the victim was walking with another male when two black males approached on foot and shot the victim. The suspects ran north on 116 street and are possibly in a house on Longview Rd. Detectives are interviewing several witnesses in an attempt to locate the suspects."


Okay, after that reporting, it's important to say that everyone in this area, in this neighborhood, that knows anything--anything--about this situation and/or the people involved with this should report whatever they know to authorities.

And as quickly as possible.

This would not be an issue but for the controversy of "snitching."

To be clear, there really should be no such thing as "snitching." We have to report crimes--and perpetrators of those crimes--to the police, people, that's all there is to it.

It's the "order" of "law and order."


Link:
http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2009/11/1-man-shot-and-killed-in-south-kc.html

An exciting Kansas City development

 

I have to tell you, I've been so looking forward to this new Performing Arts Center here in town, I can barely wait until it opens.

When the new Bloch Gallery of Contemporary Art opened at the Nelson-Atkins Art Gallery, that was incredibly exciting itself. It's such a beautiful building, even if it is just at night. For everything from its position on the site to the same lighting at night, the views from within the gallery, the natural light inside the gallery and so much more, it's been a stunner since it opened.

Since that opening, I've looked forward to this additional addition to the Kansas City landscape. With the Moshe Safdie design--which is going to be brilliant both figuratively and literally--and what it will mean to Kansas City in terms of live art performances, it will be a huge, historic and important addition to the city and, really, the region.

We're a lucky, lucky people here in Kansas City.

(In spite of what Tony says on his blog).

(Just having fun, Tony).

I'd like to start thanking the Kauffman Foundation and all the people who have contributed to this facility we will have soon, now.

This is the year for being wrong, clearly

A few days ago, after President Obama went to Dover Air Force Base to pay his respects to 18 deceased American Soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

I wrote that he showed a great deal of dignity and, again, respect for the Soldiers and their families.

I also wrote that surely the Right wing, Fox "News" and Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, etc., wouldn't dare speak out against this, that it would just be beyond the pale.

As it says above, this is my year for being wrong (you have no idea).

A quote, just now, from the Associated Press and Yahoo! News covering yesterday's Sunday morning news programs:

"Limbaugh belittled Obama's surprise, middle-of-the-night trip last week to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to observe the return of 18 flag-covered cases holding the remains of Americans killed in Afghanistan. 'It was a photo op' designed to 'create the impression that he has all of this great concern,' he contended."

It's been a banner year for me, I'll tell you.

Link to full story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091102/ap_on_bi_ge/us_limbaugh_obama