Downtown Kansas City Journal

2009-12-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

The City Manager's DaughterMary McElroy's smile was beautiful to behold. A contemporary described her as a tall, big-boned, and plain-looking woman with large eyes, wide mouth, and a radiant smile. She was her father's shadow and the apple of his eye. His name was Henry McElroy, City Manager of Kansas City, the most powerful man in the city other than the shrewd boss of the Democratic Machine -

2007-09-08T08:42:00.001-07:00

"The biggest question is not what title to select, but what we want those titles to say to the community." Jonathan KemperThis foolish journalist thrice submitted the title The Praise of Folly to Kansas City banking dynast Jonathan Kemper's secretary for his consideration as one of the titles to decorate the jumbo parking garage next to the renovated Neoclassical- and Renaissance-style bank

2006-02-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

Compassionate Police April 29, 2004Good News! Cops have been seen making arrests in the Compassion Zone! Weapons among other things have been seized. It is great to see the unmarked and marked police cars and the paddy wagons around the neighborhood.Not that the residents of the Compassion Zone want to see their neighborhood locked down by a police state. It's just that the cops have been too

2005-07-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Pit bull on the loose in the Compassion Zone April 5, 2004Most of my neighbors have stopped going to the Shamrock even though it is the only place open in the neighborhood on Sunday. Just the sight of poorly dressed men lined up for half-pints, six-packs of quarts, cheap smokes, and lottery cards scares them away, not to mention the aggressive panhandling at the counter, against house rules,

2005-03-09T12:36:00.000-08:00

On Multitasking StupidityMultitasking or doing several things at once is the craze in all walks of life in this fast-paced age. For example, former Denver mayor Wellington E. Webb went to Kansas City, Missouri, in December of 2003 and advised the Downtown Council, a landlord organization, on how to revitalize the downtown. "You have to be in a hurry, and you can be thorough while you're in a

2005-01-31T13:01:00.000-08:00

Enroute to the Final SolutionAbandon your sick joy, Kansas City,These tears of mine you seeSpeak not to coup d 'etatBut are as mist on wintry seasI must forever sail.I came to you as refugee,A stranger in your midstBut in your towers that so search the sky,There is no place for me,Nor in your modern streets.I'll dream of you, I'll dream of you,The beauty of your hills.But when I wake I'll wake to

2005-01-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

Parole in the Compassion Zone June 24, 2004I have lately encountered many parolees chatting in the back of a bus that goes up and down Main Street. I was listening in on a lively discussion just yesterday, and heard an ex-convict say that he did not like the "honor system" very much, that prison-life was better than living in the half-way house.Another fellow said that was nonsense, because if a

2005-01-31T09:23:00.000-08:00

Attempted Murder in the Compassion Zone April 3, 2004As I walked through the Compassion Zone at 4:30 pm on Friday, I thought about how nice it would be to hang out at the Plaza or other pleasant spots on a Friday evening. I did just that on two evenings after my arrival in Kansas City, but I learned my lesson the hard way: on both occasions I was harassed on my return to the Compassion Zone, the

2005-01-13T06:16:00.000-08:00

The Unemployment Corner: the Ideal ResumeIt is crucial for unemployed people who want off the Unemployment Corner to study the employment market to determine what employers are looking for in employees and to draft their resumes accordingly. I happen to be a generalist, so I studied the want ads, found out what employers generally want, then wrote the resume below. I sent out 6,000 copies

2005-01-12T13:39:00.000-08:00

March 3, 2004 My country 'tis of thee, Once Land of Liberty, Of Thee I sing. Land of the millionaire; Farmers with pockets bare, Caused by the cursed snare - The Money Ring. Blaming Kemper I am just a greenhorn in Kansas City. If I am to believe everything I hear from the steers around here, someone named Kemper is to blame for everything that is wrong with Kansas City - never mind the mayors,

2004-12-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

I received a formal invitation out of cyberspace from Tony Ortega, managing editor of Kansas City's foremost street sheet, The Pitch, to the annual party:"Because this city's bloggers have been so good to us this year, we want to give something back. This town's scribblers have inspired us with the thought that there really is some intelligent life way out here in the prairie. Please join me and

2004-11-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

Mrs. General Jackson by David Arthur Walters I. Forgiveness Leads to Tennessee When one thing leads oneself to another, one hardly knows where one might wind up. My study of the concept of forgiveness in the stacks of Hamilton Library led me by means of various winding roads to the correspondence of Andrew Jackson. I had gone from therapeutic, or feel-good forgiveness, to forgiveness that

2004-10-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Investing in Their social security In 1998 the Nasdaq stock index was riding on a reasonably high plateau, around 2000. It was correctly expected to go much higher after slight corrections, although not to the 7000 -10000 level predicted by dot-com enthusiasts. Along with its stunning climb rose the popularity of proposals to "allow" or to "let" or to "permit" individuals to "invest" their social

2004-10-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

Vagrant Wind This phenomenon I note: When I write letters whose recipients After intervals of several months Answer and do not discourse on items I have raised, Or speak to questions that I ask, But each - uniquely poised at central point Of each one's world - relates to me he saw a cloud, Or comments on a vagrant wind along the grass Where he resides. R.B.C. Walters 2003 Kansas City

2004-09-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Marie Antoinette Visits Kansas City by David Arthur Walters A Kansas City acquaintance of mine is amused by my keen interest in Marie Antoinette as of late. She thinks I am infatuated with the lady whom many prominent men including Thomas Jefferson believed to be the cause of the French Revolution. After I published my article, 'An Average Woman', in my journal, Downtown Kansas City, my

2004-09-21T06:21:00.000-07:00

This Dream This Dream that is my dream Approaches to its end, While the dreams of others, Still in the wings, Clamor for their cues. Let them claim the stage today And I will walk away. Hurry, hurry, dreams to come, Enter to new life, For I am old and gray today And I will walk away. R.B.C. Walters Kansas City

2004-09-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

2004-09-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

September 13, 2004 Gary Forsee Chief Executive Officer SPRINT Follow Up: The Folkfone Dear Mr. Forsee: I await your response to my suggestion, that Sprint develop a durable and affordable no-frills Folkfone for the people. I have visited a number of cellular outlets in South Florida and discussed my concept with the sales persons present. Several representatives said they were making

2004-09-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

Mr. Gary Forsee Chief Executive Officer Sprint Corporation August 22, 2004 The Folkfone Dear Mr. Forsee: Thank you for sending me a copy of your March 2004 speech to the Chamber of Commerce, wherein you boiled everything down to competition: "In many ways I think the challenges Sprint faces are similar to the challenges faced by the greater Kansas City area. In my view, it boils down to

2004-09-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

The Cricket's Song The summer whispers goodbye a quiet smile watches as the leaves that cloaked the forest drop away, one by one, and then another. Each leaf drifts away from the branch that held it close, green and bright, for so much of the summer letting go watching as they slip away. The finches hover at night listening to the crickets who sleep so closely to the chickadee singing

2004-08-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

What Did I Write? I wrote a lovely poem for you Before I fell asleep, And it was on my pillow. But in the night I dreamed of you And tears fell to the page And in the morning when I woke The poem had washed away. Copyright 2001 R.B.C.

2004-08-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

The Kay Barnes Arena Crowning Glory or Fool's Cap? Heresy in Progress http://aardvarkian.topcities.com/kansascity/arena.html "Favonius stood to be chosen aedile, and was like to lose it; but Cato, who was there to assist him, observed that all the votes were written in one hand, and discovered the cheat, appealed to the tribunes, who stopped the election. Favonius was afterward chosen aedile,

2004-08-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

The Rise of American Hypocrisy by David Arthur Walters Confidence Men and Painted Women turned America into a nation of hypocrites according to Karen Halttunen's book by that title, subtitled 'A Study of Middle-Class Culture in America, 1830-1870. There are still a few dour puritanical characters around who persist for the greater glory of god; who are sober, industrious and frugal; who really

2004-08-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

River stone sits beside the shore silent Watching the water flow wondering if and when It will be taken back into the depths from which it came Thrown silently into innocent oblivion. Cattails shade its surface supporting Its smooth round bulk holding this cool stonelike Presence amid strong roots Reluctant to let go, yet knowing. Willow spreads her canopy Lifting her skirt amid summer

2004-08-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

A Twelve Thousand a Month Man Kansas City's beloved Union Station is in dire financial straits. The directors of the monumental station wanted to go to the taxpayers for more money. Mayadevi Barnes stiff-armed that idea and put Union Station on the back burner for special committee studies and discussions - we know how that goes. Right now the mayor is rushing her downtown sports arena proposal

2004-08-17T06:12:00.000-07:00

I was a fool! It was with some chagrin that I observed the last giant book-spines put up to adorn the front wall of the new Library District's jumbo garage. Despite my recommendation and fervent arguments in favor of The Praise of Folly by Desiderus Erasmus, the masterpiece was not selected. I had devoted several enjoyable hours to the project, and that was compensation enough. Still, everyone

2004-08-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Theodore Dreiser's "Genius" Current statistical studies certainly support the 'stagnant class circulation' thesis. Yes, a few people do win the lottery, and a few ordinary people become successful, or rich and famous, if you like, due to a combination of virtue and luck. But most people stay where they "belong," which is a waste given their untapped talents and abilities. And it's not that they

2004-08-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

December 2, 2003 Accosting Kansas Citians Kansas Citians are easy to talk to if you have enough gumption to accost them. For instance, I encountered Jenny in the elevator early this morning. She was dressed up in a nice suit and was carrying a briefcase. "Good morning. You look great. Going to work?" "Good morning. I'm off to an interview. I lost my airline job right after 9/11," she said. "

2004-08-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

December 8, 2003 A Downtown Waiting to Happen After a man took a smelly dump on the floor of the Missouri Valley Room on the third floor of the Kansas City Public Library, I removed myself to the second floor, where I found a solitary desk for one person in the stacks next to Sigmund Freud and Norman Vincent Peale. A notice was glued to the desk: Use of this table is limited to 15 minutes

2004-08-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

December 9, 2003 The Downtown Kansas City Jerk, The Vulgar Tourists, and The Humble Author "Who's next?" is one of the most important questions in New York City, and, as far as everyone standing in a Manhattan line is concerned, there is usually very little doubt as to the correct answer - each person is usually breathing down the neck of the person in front of him. The custom is different in

2004-08-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

December 22, 2003 Them and Us I was stood up! I showed up downtown on Saturday morning for my date to roller-skate down the middle of the street with Suzie Q., but she did not show up. The only person who appeared as I waited on Main Street was a panhandler. He did not even bother to cross the street and accost me. "Hey, mister!" he yelled as he walked along, "can you spare some change for

2004-08-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

December 19, 2003 Interview with Suzie Q. Public I accosted Suzie Q. Public, a thirty-something, large-eyed brunette of average build, in the Kansas City Core. She was drinking coffee and reading the New Yorker. I grabbed a cup of coffee at the counter and sat down at the table next to her. "Hi, howya doin'?" "Fine," she said, glancing up from her magazine. "I'm David Walters, cub reporter

2004-08-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

January 5, 2004 A Tough Woman As I sipped my coffee in a Kansas City establishment, a tough looking woman dressed in male attire and sporting a crew cut entered the premises, sat down next to me and asked the waitress for a glass of water, with which she was courteously served. "The root of all evil is here in the Heart of America," she proclaimed for the benefit of everyone in the room as she

2004-07-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

Software versus HardwareThe Heart of America like the rest of America has grown hard and cold and is in dire need of spiritual revitalization. During creative eras when Americans stand upright on their legs with their heads aspiring to the heavens, spirit and mind governs matter and body. America has regressed since white stains were found on a black dress and the military-industrial towers

2004-07-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

The Embourgeoisement of the Heart of America The Ancients supposed that the heart of man was the seat of human consciousness. Today we think differently and refer to the brain instead. Still, we know that the heart, at least figuratively speaking, has its own, instinctive intelligence, or, in a word, Will. Although we who stand erect place the head over the heart, and although we tend to

2004-07-18T14:27:00.000-07:00

Downtown Tourism I've lived or worked in tourist areas more than half my life. I'm one of the few locals who prefers to actually live in the tourist zone - for instance, Waikiki. Tourists are relatively happy people in comparison to locals. At present I frequent downtown Kansas City's tourist district next to the business district. I like tourists more than the hard-headed businessmen and

2004-07-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

Surprise, Surprise! It is not really surprising that the editors of the Kansas City's daily newspaper monopoly, the Kansas City Star, in an editorial entitled Ignite downtown with arena vote, have boosted the Mayor Barnes Basketball Arena proposal today. No, it is not surprising at all, not given the Star's traditional support of Big Money while posing as a liberal newspaper, and not given

2004-07-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

The Arrogant and Dismissive TimesAs Sharpers, Parasites, Pimps, Players, Pick-Pockets, Coiners, Quacks, Sooth-Sayers, And all those, that, in Enmity With down-right Working, cunningly Convert to their own Use the Labour Of their good-natur'd heedless Neighbour: These were called Knaves; but, bar the Name, The grave Industrious were the Same. All Trades and Places knew some Cheat, No

2004-07-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

From Miami Doc to K.C. Dave Subject: The Bloody Sports Arena Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 19:06:58 -0400 Right arm, DAWg...!!! Fortunately, when Dade County attempted to slap an additional set of outrageous tourist taxes on the hotel industry, in order to finance yet ANOTHER stadium -- in an already overcrowded and road-jammed downtown Miami, no less -- the City of Miami Beach loudly said "[Expletive

2004-07-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

The Bloody Sports Arena My fellow Americans, the Heart of America's amazing mayor, mayadevi Kay Barnes, is running for mahamaya. She is leading a full corporate press to save Kansas City's moribund downtown for big corporations: friendly landlords, real estate developers, investment bankers, and their relatively wealthy customers. Benefits are expected to dribble down the throats of the

2004-07-14T05:42:00.000-07:00

What Am I To Do?byTheresa KochI gaze across the deep blue sea And hear you calling out to me. I look into the canyon's depth And hear your voice come echo back. It's in the rustling of the trees. I heard it whistling in the leaves. Resounding with the fires spark. It's in the twilight after dark. I close my eyes and listen close, It swept right past me like a ghost. You rant and gleam within

2004-07-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

Yuk abducts the Star! As Kansas Citians who still subscribe to Kansas City's daily press monopoly know very well, Knight-Ridder's The Kansas City Star pulled out all the stops and discarded every scrap of a scruple after accepting Mayor Kay Barnes' alleged $200,000,000 printing-plant bribe to sell real estate projects to credulous taxpayers. One most glaring case of trumpetry is the newly

2004-07-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

OPEN LETTER Mayor Kay Barnes City Hall Kansas City, Missouri July 12, 2004 Subject: Did the Mayor bribe the Star? Your Honor: According to The Pitch, your staff informed an inquirer that you do not treat with ordinary people. I assume that is true, since the only reply I have received from your office to my many communications is a dismissive letter from your assistant, who would not

2004-07-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Who cares about the Press?Sometimes I wonder whether anyone other than members of the press and a few critics really give a damn what "the Press" thinks. Of course readers care about the factual news if not the opinions on those facts, but only a few fools believe they will discover much "truth" even in the news accounts given the way the facts are selected and given the prejudices of editors

2004-07-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

July 8, 2004 Mr. Yael T. Abouhalkah THE KANSAS CITY STAR Kansas City, Missouri Your Article: 'Voters Should Assist on Contract for Arena' Dear Mr. Abouhalkah: Your article today virtually replicated your last one on this subject, and I must say with all due respect that you are beginning to sound like a broken record of a basketball game cheerleader. Everyone knows that the Kansas City

2004-07-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

Will Phoenix Arise from Downtown Revitalization? I visited the website of the City of Phoenix and filed a query about the vibrancy of downtown Phoenix. Sheryl Taylor, Economic Development Specialist, responded with a copy of an official PR release about Phoenix's downtown revitalization. Phoenix happens to have an independent press alternative to the established media - the Phoenix New Times. I

2004-07-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

Winning With Details Dear Mr. Abouhalkah: I have examined your article, Winning With Details in the Kansas City Star, wherein you express the opinion that Mayor Barnes needs a suitably detailed final contract with the prospective downtown arena operator in order to get voter approval for raising public funds by means of higher fees on hotel and car rentals. You also indicated that the Mayor is

2004-06-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

Mayor's influential pals unveiled Kansas City Star reporter Lynn Horsley is on the ball now. She beat around the bushes and flushed out of relative obscurity a couple of influential players in the downtown revitalization game, two pals of Mayor Kay Barnes: Jack Holland, investment banker with Oppenheimer & Co., puts together the financial packages for the Mayor. Herb Cohn, lawyer with the

2004-06-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

The Arrogant and Dismissive TimesThe Devil is in the Details I have received no answers to the several questions that I presented Kansas City Star reporter Lynn Horsley with in regards to the alleged bribe - a new printing complex - that her newspaper received in return for serving as the propaganda organ for the downtown revitalization project advanced by Kansas City's most visionary

2004-06-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

The Arrogant and Dismissive TimesMea CulpaI have been arrogant and dismissive many times, some times as a matter of technique rather than attitude. For instance, at certain meetings held at the "Roundtable," I have upon occasion employed a disruptive tactic once used effectively by Jesuits, military officers, business school professors, and fascists among others. As the Roundtable discussions

2004-06-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Arrogant and Dismissive TimesA Journal Within a JournalSeveral readers of my Downtown Kansas City Journal have wondered why I have posted very few items in said journal lately. I do not mean to neglect Kansas City as if it were an unimportant metropolis unworthy of my cosmopolitan attention. I feel that the Heart of America demeanor as it is presently displayed by Kansas Citians is

2004-06-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

downtownkansascity.blogspot.com June 8, 2004 Richard DeHartDirector of AdministrationOffice of the MayorCity of Kansas City, Missouri Dear Sir: I shared my original letter to you with a few people in Kansas City and other parts of the world last night. They suggested that I make a few minor changes; for example, to bring out the notion that Mayor Kay Barnes "is a neoconservative. Her

2004-06-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

downtownkansascity.blogspot.com Richard DeHartDirector of AdministrationOffice of the MayorCity of Kansas City, Missouri June 7, 2004 Re: KCMO Political Economics Dear Mr. DeHart: Thank you very much for your letter. You are correct. I am passionate about my work and my aims. Other than a police investigation, your letter is the only response I have received from the City and Mr. Kemper

2004-06-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Blame the Computer! I almost forgot to report a very curious happening at Kansas City's new Central Library: Everyone who knows me knows my pet library peeve very well: library customers can only use the computers at the Central Library two forty-five minute sessions, for a total of ninety minutes. By the way, library patrons are called "customers" nowadays. They are treated more or less

2004-06-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Newsmaker of Last Month Reporter Lynn Horsley On the effort to make good reporting a reality Downtown Kansas City Journal has selected Lynn Horsley, reporter for The Kansas City Star, as Newsmaker of Last Month. The following questions have been sent to her at lhorsley@kcstar.com. We are standing by for her answers. Q. Does the Kansas City Star have a zero tolerance policy in place which

2004-05-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

Mayadevi Barnes Its' a bird, no, it's a plane, no, it's Supermayor Kay Barnes flying over downtown Kansas City, Missouri! Not only has the mayor defied gravity, she has defied naysayers! The Kansas City Star featured Mayor Barnes in its May 23 Questions and Answers column, 'This Weeks Newsmaker.' Star reporter Lynn Horsley led into the Question and Answer session with a statement: "You defied

2004-05-22T13:33:00.001-07:00

This fountain is dedicated to the memory of William Thornton Kemper and Charlotte Crosby Kemper 1865-1936 1866-1956 Community Leaders in Politics, Banking and the Arts Dedicated April 1999 City of Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City Transportation Authority Emmanuel Cleaver II, Mayor George Huvedick, Chairman Theis Doolittle Assocaties, Inc. Alvin Holm ArchitectsLarking

2004-05-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Rush to Real Estate Development "Have pity on the pessimist! He spoils his own existence. In fact, life is endurable only on condition that one's an optimist. The pessimist complicates things to no purpose. What would have happened to us, by Heaven, if we'd been a group of pessimists!" Adolf Hitler, January 4, 1942 A speech by Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes reminded me of something I had read

2004-05-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

Downtown Kansas City Journal downtownkansascity.blogspot.com May 8, 2004 David King Central Library Kansas City Public Library Subject: Collection Accountability Dear Mr. King: I have not heard back from you in regards to my responses to the several contentions you put forward in your April 30 communication, wherein you proposed to correct an article that I had published about my research

2004-05-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Downtown Kansas City Journal May 5, 2004 Mayor Kaye Barnes City Council Kansas City, Missouri Open Letter in re apparent Conflict of Interest of Jonathan Kemper, KCPL Board of Trustees Honorable Mayor: I have no doubt whatsoever that Jonathan Kemper is an admirable man and one who should be thanked for making the new Central Library happen, yet it appears to me that his presence on the Kansas

2004-04-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

Something smells fishy in downtown Kansas City! A great deal of hype on the front pages of the Kansas City Star boosted the plans to move the central library collection into "Jonathan's building" - the old First National bank building a few feet from Jonathan Kemper's Commerce Bank. The Kemper family controls the $14,000,000,000 bank as well as the $9,000,000,000 UMB bank nearby, Jonathan Kemper

2004-04-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

From Blaise Pascal "In the towns through which we pass we do not care to be esteemed; but when we are to remain some time in them, we do care. How long a time is necessary for this? A time proportioned to our vain and pitiful duration.""Curiosity is but vanity. Oftenest one wishes to know but to talk of it. Otherwise one would not go to sea, if he were never to say any thing about it, and for the

2004-04-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

Walking on the Wild Side at the new library The "Yellow Jackets" who provide private security for the new downtown Kansas City Central Library are keeping the new quarters relatively safe and quiet for everyone's enjoyment. Some of the poor and homeless regulars of the old library are afraid to come into the imposing old bank lobby of the new one. For one thing, they heard during the closure for

2004-04-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Cuidado! Unemployment Corner is satire Unemployment Corner: Lie on your resumes If you really want to get off the Unemployment Corner, it is equally important to lie on your resumes and applications and not get caught for doing so. Some employers will fire you if you lie. Even worse, lying on some applications is a violation of law. But where punishment is harsh, the rewards are usually greater.

2004-04-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

Unemployment Corner: Tip on Ambition & Intelligence If you want to get off the Unemployment Corner, do not believe everything you hear from employers, for they tend to lie at least as much as prospective applicants. For example, you will hear calls for "ambitious" and "intelligent" people. In any case of prospective employment, do not appear to be very ambitious or highly intelligent - above

2004-04-29T05:50:00.000-07:00

Unemployment Corner: Tip on Humor It is best to be humorless during job interviews unless you are applying for a job as a comedian or comedy writer. "What are your plans for the future?" I was asked at my last interview. "I want to work myself to death, to die on the job," I replied. That did it. I could see from the young lady's grimace that I had blown the interview. Wit to me was sarcasm

2004-04-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

I realized some time ago that creative cosmopolitans are not welcome in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, especially creative cosmopolitans who are openly critical of the parochial elite and its press, for the downtown is not owned by the people, and those who work there who might have revelations about their city bosses had better keep their mouths shut if they value their livelihoods. It is

2004-04-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Preamble to the July Revolution On July 24, 1830, M. de Chantelauze, confidant of King Charles X and the publicist of the King's coup d'etat that briefly established the King's absolute dictatorship, read a certain preamble, approved in advance by the King, to the Council. Lamartine said of it rightly that, "This preamble... was the report truly and eloquently traced of the great suit pending

2004-04-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

Paris in Kansas CityA Kansas Citian proudly stated to me today that Kansas City is properly hailed as "The Paris of the Plains." I had not heard that appellation before but I was willing to consider the comparison because I love French Fries and hate Texas Toast. I see very little of Paris in downtown Kansas City, but I suppose Country Club Plaza has French flavors. You see, I have never been to

2004-04-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

We were betrayed by the media. Christiane Amanpour was correct when she announced to the press club late in the presidential campaign, that the media had allowed George W. Bush to get too far ahead of the democratic candidate. The regressives he represented called the foul. Their opponents would have also made that call if they had been in their shoes. Above all, the news media is supposed to

2004-04-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

Phallus Worship in the Heart of America "History teaches us that religion and patriotism have always gone hand in hand, while atheism has invariably been accompanied by radicalism, communism, bolshevism, and other enemies of free government.... I confidently believe that a red-blooded and viral humanity which loves peace devotedly, but is willing to die in defense of the right, is Christian from

2004-04-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

A Provocative Debate A number of thought-provoking essays appeared in the monthly editions of the The Forum just prior to the Crash. Editions of the few years before and after 1929 were rather mediocre reading in comparison. The authors did not see the panic coming and were unaware of the gravity of the collapse until the Great Depression set in with a vengeance. Yet authors of the 1929

2004-04-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

The Star does not twinkle That the Kansas City Star has managed to hoodwink liberals into believing that it is a liberal newspaper is certainly newsworthy, at least as an indication of just how confused people have become - con-fused into one party under the illusion of two different parties. A book can now be purchased on how you can determine whether you are a liberal or a conservative - a

2004-04-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

Justice in Journalism A New Yorker from Kansas City just wondered why I bother criticizing The Kansas City Star, a paper whose prejudices are already very well known. "Why bother with them? Nobody with half a brain trusts them, anyway, at least not since the Texas interests took over. Forget about them, it's a waste of your talent. Get out of Kansas City, come back to the Big Apple." I bother

2004-04-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

What Kansas City Star critics must do I have received over two dozen inquires from around the country, asking me for the current disposition of my accusation, that The Kansas City Star engaged in unethical behavior when its editors and reporters acted in concert to ignore the fact thrown in their faces on numerous occasions, that the fundamental issue of the proposed bond for the enlargement

2004-04-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

The City Manager's Daughter What is in a face? Without identifying the subject of the photograph of a young woman, I circulated it among a few empathetic friends of mine and asked them to provide me with their impressions of her. Dawn observed, "She had a hard life... sadness held in... not able to express her real self." Helga said, "She appears intelligent, but more than that, she is sad,

2004-04-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

The Absurd Before boarding the bus to Country Club Plaza, it struck me that life in Kansas City as reported is Absurd! For instance, our civic leaders go around chanting, "What we are doing is the right thing to do because it is right and it fits and it works." That reminds me of the game we played as children: "Why? Because! Why? Because! Why? Because! Why? Because!" Et cetera. In any case,

2004-04-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

Local Absurdities "The press is a school of demoralization, because it dispenses with thinking." Flaubert to George Sand, 8 September, 1871 I studied my News Notebook as I waited for the Country Club Plaza bus this morning. Before I boarded the bus, I concluded that Kansas City is absurd. Some of the absurdities I noted may be found hereunder in incoherent order: Sprint has terminated over

2004-04-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

"And as to rebellion in particular against Monarchy; one of the most frequent causes of it, is the Reading of books of Policy, and Histories of the ancient Greeks, and Romans; from which, young men, and all others that are unprovided of the Antidote of solid Reason, receiving a strong, and delightful impression, of the great exploits of Warre, achieved by the conductors of their Armies, receive

2004-04-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

Death is too simple for me by David Arthur Walters "Yes, everything is simple. It's men who complicate things. Don't let them tell us any stories. Don't let them say about the man condemned to death: 'He is going to pay his debt to society.' but: 'They're going to chop his head off.' It may seem like nothing. But it does make a little difference," wrote Albert Camus in Between Yes and No. Camus

2004-04-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

I Accuse the Kansas City Star In the matter of the recently approved public funding of a Liberty Memorial museum for the glorification of war, I accuse Knight-Ridder's The Kansas City Star of abusing the guiding principle of the Liberty of the Press and of deliberately lying to the public. I accuse Kansas City's only major and only daily newspaper of taking advantage of the public's blind faith

2004-04-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

An Independent Journalist's Screed If only I were Theodore Dreiser and this were the good old days, I might get a job with the The Kansas City Star, I speculated shortly after my arrival in the Heart of America. Wow! That would be great! Maybe then I could meet rich and famous people and even get to hobnob with them. For example, I could sniff out the mayor, jump onto her lap, hang on to her

2004-04-06T06:21:00.000-07:00

A Historical Note in re Kemper Arena et cetera "The Star as a political factor in our city is death to whomsoever it smiles upon because of the fact that the taxpayers and people of our city have found through its record in past years it has not been their friend, but has ever fought the cause of the taxpayers of the city in behalf of invidious interests." William Thornton Kemper, Patriarch,

2004-04-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

Profiling Compassionate Panhandlers Most of us are quite sensitive about the plight of homeless people in our neighborhoods, but many of us get tired of seeing the same hand out every day after we put something in it the first time, so we start looking the other way and passing on by, maybe even crossing the street to avoid the heavy hustling spots staked out by the more aggressive panhandlersOf

2004-03-29T14:04:00.000-08:00

Censorship Perfected by the StarSing to the Lord, for he has risen up in triumph,The horse and his rider he has hurled into the sea.Miriam's Victory SongThe Kansas City Star has finally perfected its one-sided advocacy in carefully worded headlines, news, and editorials, in favor of the public funding of the Liberty Memorial Museum for the Glorification of War. The Editorial Board, united in its

2004-03-29T09:44:00.000-08:00

Liberty Memorial Museum For Sale! I can imagine the crocodile tears that might be shed by certain wheeler-dealers and civic leaders, including those crocodiles on the Editorial Board of The Kansas City Star, if Kansas City taxpayers realize that the prospective Liberty Memorial Museum for the Glorification of World War is neither politically just or economically feasible, and therefore do not

2004-03-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

What was liberty to starving men? "Vivre en travaillant, ou mourir en combattant!" cried the silk weavers at Lyons. "No," said Louis Blanc," you shall not die fighting, the state shall see to it that you 'live by labour.' "Why should they die fighting?" he asked. "Every man born into the world has the right to live, and to live by his labor. To secure that right, industry must be

2004-03-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cuidado Amigas y Amigos!We do not blame ourselves for supporting the leading presidential candidate opposed to the thuggee organization now in power. That candidate happens to be John Kerry, a man whom Nixon and Haldeman were worried about so much that they had twenty-five G-men on his tail. During a taped White House conversation, Nixon and his henchman said that John Kerry was just a political

2004-03-26T08:12:00.000-08:00

If we were to ask why the freedom of the state of nature was judged false and destroyed, the first child who came along would be able to give us the right answer. The freedom of the state of nature was, in fact, only an abominable oppression, because it allied itself with inequality of strength, because it made the weak man the victim of the vigorous, the impotent man the prey of the agile. Now,

2004-03-25T14:10:00.000-08:00

Against war-mongering liars What I am about to say may offend our civic misleaders, including the militarists on the Editorial Board of The Kansas City Star who are now pressing voters to approve public funding of a museum at the Kansas City Liberty Memorial for the International Cultivation of the Glorification of World War. Further, my politically incorrect language might anger those members of

2004-03-24T10:15:00.000-08:00

The Shiny Golden Pots The civic leaders of the Heart of America are presently engaged in a typical bulging-belly bourgeois budget tussle, and we have no doubt who will win under the prevailing might-is-right political philosophy. It appears that the one-billion dollar ($1,000,000,000) budget is forty-millions ($40,000,000) short, therefore, say the editors of The Kansas City Star, the City

2004-03-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

visit the Turkey Vulture Society We Say Peace They Say War by David Arthur Walters"America is dealing death, not only to people in other lands, but to its own people. So say the most thoughtful and passionate of our youth, from California to Connecticut.... We think of ourselves as an incredibly rich country, but we are beginning to realize that we are also a desperately poor country - poor in

2004-03-23T09:30:00.000-08:00

Colorized photo of Kaiser Wilhelm II inspecting Austrian troopsLetter to President BushRe: the Future Lies on the Waterby David Arthur Walters Qcounter.com Free Counters

2004-03-23T09:22:00.000-08:00

Photo of Adolf HitlerThe Wages of WarSubmitted to Congress after the Fall of Baghdadby David Arthur Walters

2004-03-23T09:17:00.000-08:00

The Delusion of MilitarismA fascinating article entitled 'The Delusion of Militarism' appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in 1908. It was penned by Charles Edward Jefferson (1860-1937), a New York author and minister. The first paragraph grabs the eye:"The future historian of the first decade of the twentieth century will be puzzled. He will find that the world at the opening of the century was in

2004-03-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

International Educational Center for the Glorification of World War Kansas City's Liberty Memorial pillar stands stiffly erect, thrusting skyward in front of two round stones hanging behind it on the mound overlooking Union Station and the downtown skyline. The stones are carved into angels with wings folded forward over their eyes, apparently a gesture of blind faith in just wars, meaning wars

2004-03-22T09:09:00.000-08:00

1908 Main StreetDave opened the Country Club Cafe for awhile on Saturday because plenty of visitors had showed up in town for St. Patrick's Day, March Basketball Madness, and a convention or two, and Dave wanted his share of the millions of dollars of revenue expected as a consequence. Dave had told me on the day before that he would be open.Yes, he said in response to my question, he would very

2004-03-19T12:14:00.000-08:00

Political thought and political instinct prove themselves theoretically and practically in the ability to distinguish friend and enemy. The high points of politics are simultaneously the moments in which the enemy is, in concrete clarity, recognized as the enemy." Carl Schmitt Right is above mightCertain political philosophers believe that it is necessary to deceive people in order to manipulate

2004-03-18T12:29:00.000-08:00

Get it while it's White Hot! We've certainly heard that before from many a confidence man and woman since 1850 or so. Mayor Kay Barnes tells us that we had better approve of her clique's vision of Kansas City Live, particularly the sports arena component, because such an opportunity occurs only once in thirty years or so. Like in the Sixties, when boosters were singing a similar song as they

2004-03-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

Please buy me an arena! Reprint from March 18, 2004 Oh, Lord, won't you buy me A brand new arena! (popular urban folk song) " Eveybody gots to have a new arena! Who will build? Get it while its hot, Kansas Citians, or you will lose the March Madness over the basketball tournaments! Competition is stiff. Four cities are expected to bid this time around, and at least nine more are coming on line.