Numbers. Do you ever think about them? I've never been a numbers guy. Never gave them much thought one way or another. But over the course of the last 23 days I've learned numbers can literally mean the difference between life and death.
Numbers like 17, 235, 15,12, 160, 87, 65/45, and 23 all became to mean everything in my Granddaughter's world. Emily was born 17 weeks premature on November 12th.and was transferred to room 235 of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Stormont-Vail Hospital. This was also the day my journey through her world of numbers began.
Good morning Emily, I'm your Grandpa. I know, I'm kind of big and ugly. But you'll get used to me. Hey, look at those numbers on the ventilator. The nurses tell me 15 is excellent for your oxygen level. And that the vent setting doesn't get much better than a 12. I know it's been a pretty rough first day for you, so I'm not going to stay too long. You be a good girl and mind the nurses. I'll see you in the morning. And remember that Grandpa loves you.
And so our daily routine began. We talked about all the adventures we were going to have once she got to come home. First and foremost I explained she was going to have to put on some weight. At 1lb., 4oz., it was going to be hard for her to ride a bike. I offered to start bringing her chocolate chip cookies and pop. While Emily thought it was a good idea, the nurses didn't think so. We talked about her first day of school, about the fishing trips we were going to take. She was really excited about going 4-wheeling in the mountains of Colorado.
I told her how lucky she was to have two Grandmothers Linda and Debbie that loved her so much. We talked about all her aunts, uncles, and cousins. I warned her about the stupid cats and dogs she'd meet. I even warned her about staying away from boys. I'm not sure, but I think I saw her blushing after this conversation. But mostly, she liked hearing about her Mommy and Daddy.
Over the next few days I learned about the other numbers on the monitor above her bed. The top one was her heart rate. I learned that 160 was a very good number indeed. And that 87 indicated how much oxygen was in her blood. The 65/45 was the blood pressure.
All day and night long the doctors and nurses watched these numbers. They made adjustments to the machines or medications according to what the numbers told them. They were very up front with us from the beginning. Some days were pretty good. Others were pretty bad, it all depended on the numbers. The nurses referred to this as the roller coaster ride.
Monday December 4th was an exceptionally good day. Her numbers were even better that they had been the previous weekend. She was finally able to open her eyes for the first time. They were the biggest, most beautiful, brown eyes I had ever seen. We talked about riding the train at Gage park. I blew her a kiss, told her Grandpa loved her, and assured her I'd see her in the morning.
Sometime around 9:00 Monday night the hospital called. Emily had taken a turn for the worse, and we needed to get there as soon as we could. It was the numbers, the 15 and 12 had turned into 101 and 40. The 160 was now a 50. The 87 was somewhere around 35 now, and the blood pressure that once read a steady 65/45 wasn't even registering anymore. They told us her system was shutting down, she was dying, and didn't think she'd be able to hang on for much more than 3 or 4 more hours.
While ultimately the numbers got the best of her, she did beat the 3 and the 4. She was able to hang on about another 24 hours. And in doing so we were all able to say our goodbyes. While I'm not sure what others said to her. For me, I held her tiny hand, kissed her on the forehead, told her it was okay if she had to go, and to remember that Grandpa loved her.
There are three more numbers to this story though. We had her with us for 23 days, 4 hours, and 42 minutes. And for that I'll always be grateful.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Emily
I’d love to talk about Paul Morrison and the people he hurt this week. But you know what? He’s not worth the effort. However, I do feel sorry for his wife and kids, they’re the real losers in this whole disgusting fiasco. Yeah Paul, you’re quite a guy.
Actually, I’ve got other things on my mind this week. As everyone knows, Christmas is just around the corner. And like most old guys, I’m already getting that “what do you want for Christmas” question. I usually tell them I want a new motor home and a ranch in the mountains of Colorado. This year is different though. I want something specific this year. I want the same thing Steve’s getting.
Last Monday I was listening to Steve Forman’s “Wake Up Call” on AM 1440 as he was telling a story about a recent phone call he received from his daughter, I think he said she‘s going to school and living in Manhattan. Anyway she wanted to know what he wanted for Christmas. He told her all he wanted was for her to come home for a few days so they could spend time together. Spend a little time looking through a few old pictures and reminiscing about days gone by. And maybe even getting out the old Monopoly game. You know, just being a family and being together. Isn’t that what it’s really about? While I’ll do everything I can think of to not break out the Monopoly game, I’ll gladly whip up on my kids in a good, heated game of Risk. So kids, I want the same thing Steve wants this year and I hope we both get it.
Last week I talked a little bit about some of the things I believe in and some of the things I’ve written about over the past year. But something I haven’t talked much about is why I decided to name this column “Room 235.” I guess I haven’t talked about it because it’s taken this long to be able to. You see, Room 235 was my grand daughter’s hospital room number at Stormont-Vail last December. Emily was born 17 weeks premature. At 1lb. 4oz.,she was tiny and had an uphill battle ahead of her. You know, I really thought she was going to make it too. I actually never really considered the fact that she might not make it. Emily and I had already made plans to go fishing as soon as she was a little bigger. I couldn’t wait to go to her first kindergarten Christmas program. I had already picked out her first bike and promised to teach her to ride it. We read Christmas stories and we sang little songs every day. The night she died, I wanted to die too. I was mad as hell at everyone and everything. More than anything, I was mad at God. How could he allow something like this to happen? Emily was only 23 days old. That’s how I named my column “Room 235. It’s just my way of honoring her memory.
That was a year ago and whether we like it or not, life does go on. Since then I’ve been blessed with two more grandkids, Shawn and Sofie. Add them to Adam and Krista and we have a houseful of kids again. I’m not mad anymore either.
When it comes right down to it. We’re all given a certain amount of time and that’s all we get. It’s up to each one of us to decide how to spend it. This Christmas, do yourself a favor. If at all possible, spend a little of that time with your family or someone you love. If you haven’t spoken to someone for awhile because you’re mad at each other for whatever reason. Call them. Call your mom or dad. Call your brother or sister. What can it hurt? Don’t assume you can call them next year or even next week.
If you don’t mind and if Denise is okay with it. Next week I’d like to re-run the first “Room 235 that ran about this same time last year. It pretty much sums up my feelings at the time. I sincerely hope each and every one of you have a Merry Christmas this year.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Actually, I’ve got other things on my mind this week. As everyone knows, Christmas is just around the corner. And like most old guys, I’m already getting that “what do you want for Christmas” question. I usually tell them I want a new motor home and a ranch in the mountains of Colorado. This year is different though. I want something specific this year. I want the same thing Steve’s getting.
Last Monday I was listening to Steve Forman’s “Wake Up Call” on AM 1440 as he was telling a story about a recent phone call he received from his daughter, I think he said she‘s going to school and living in Manhattan. Anyway she wanted to know what he wanted for Christmas. He told her all he wanted was for her to come home for a few days so they could spend time together. Spend a little time looking through a few old pictures and reminiscing about days gone by. And maybe even getting out the old Monopoly game. You know, just being a family and being together. Isn’t that what it’s really about? While I’ll do everything I can think of to not break out the Monopoly game, I’ll gladly whip up on my kids in a good, heated game of Risk. So kids, I want the same thing Steve wants this year and I hope we both get it.
Last week I talked a little bit about some of the things I believe in and some of the things I’ve written about over the past year. But something I haven’t talked much about is why I decided to name this column “Room 235.” I guess I haven’t talked about it because it’s taken this long to be able to. You see, Room 235 was my grand daughter’s hospital room number at Stormont-Vail last December. Emily was born 17 weeks premature. At 1lb. 4oz.,she was tiny and had an uphill battle ahead of her. You know, I really thought she was going to make it too. I actually never really considered the fact that she might not make it. Emily and I had already made plans to go fishing as soon as she was a little bigger. I couldn’t wait to go to her first kindergarten Christmas program. I had already picked out her first bike and promised to teach her to ride it. We read Christmas stories and we sang little songs every day. The night she died, I wanted to die too. I was mad as hell at everyone and everything. More than anything, I was mad at God. How could he allow something like this to happen? Emily was only 23 days old. That’s how I named my column “Room 235. It’s just my way of honoring her memory.
That was a year ago and whether we like it or not, life does go on. Since then I’ve been blessed with two more grandkids, Shawn and Sofie. Add them to Adam and Krista and we have a houseful of kids again. I’m not mad anymore either.
When it comes right down to it. We’re all given a certain amount of time and that’s all we get. It’s up to each one of us to decide how to spend it. This Christmas, do yourself a favor. If at all possible, spend a little of that time with your family or someone you love. If you haven’t spoken to someone for awhile because you’re mad at each other for whatever reason. Call them. Call your mom or dad. Call your brother or sister. What can it hurt? Don’t assume you can call them next year or even next week.
If you don’t mind and if Denise is okay with it. Next week I’d like to re-run the first “Room 235 that ran about this same time last year. It pretty much sums up my feelings at the time. I sincerely hope each and every one of you have a Merry Christmas this year.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Sofie Lin
What’d I tell you? Last week I bet that because my daughter hadn’t had the baby yet, she was going have a girl. Bam! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. I’d like you to meet the latest addition to my family, my granddaughter, Sofie Lin. She weighs in at 6 lbs. 10 ounces. She’s a whopping 19 inches tall, or is that 19 inches long? Anyway, she has all her finger and toes, eyes and ears, and her doctors say she’s as healthy as they come. That’s really all that matters.
I knew the moment I saw her, we were gong to be buddies. But I could also tell she’s going to be a handful. We watched our first Chiefs game together last Sunday against the Chargers. I gotta tell you, she wasn’t impressed. I worry about that because I’m afraid her grandma will be able to sway her to the “dark side.” For some crazy reason, my wife’s a stupid Bronco’s fan. And to think of my poor, innocent, little Sofie siding with her is too much for me to take.
I told her to be patient and explained to her that this is a re-building season, just wait till next year. She said grandma told her I’d say that. Yeah, she’s going to be a handful alright. How about it Chiefs? How about winning a couple of your last few games. And if you can’t win them, it’d be nice if you could at least play a decent game. Don’t do it for me. Do it for Sofie. I can tell she wants to believe me when I say you’re all that, but so far you haven’t given her much to go on. Trust me when I say we don’t need another Bronco’s fan in this family.
Actually, it doesn’t really matter whether the Chiefs win or lose. It’s just an excuse for me to get my family together. Either my wife or I make some kind of a huge meal. We have all the snacks and stuff like that. My brother, Aaron and his two kids, Little Aaron and Lisa are usually the first one’s to show up. My oldest son Lucas, his wife Mandy, and their two kids, Krista and Shawn are usually next. Normally, by half time my daughter, Misty, her husband, Travis, show up with their two kids, Adam and now Sofie will finally get here. To say my house is crowded on Sundays is an understatement. Let’s see, just how many is that anyway? Counting my youngest son, who’s still living at home, my wife and myself, the kids and grandkids it looks like there are 14 of us every weekend. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
It’s funny, it seems like the older I get, the faster time goes by. I doubt anyone other than myself realizes I’ve been writing this column for a year now. I’ve written about a lot of things in the past year. You probably realize by now that I’m a pretty conservative guy. I won’t budge on my pro-life beliefs. I have no use whatsoever for anyone who would hurt a child. I believe a man should take care of his own family and not expect the rest of us to do it for him. I believe a marriage can only be between a man and a woman, period. I believe that if you make a mistake you should accept responsibility for it, learn from it, and move on with your life. Oh yeah, I also believe that people who buy into the global warming scam need to get a life. You cry if someone cuts down a tree so a church can build a parking lot. You whine about “green space” all the time. Here’s what you need to do. Get out of the city. Take a road trip with your wife and kids from time to time. You’ll be amazed at all the “green space” you’re going to find. And no, the planet’s not going to die because you drive your car and use a little gas. It’ll be okay.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
I knew the moment I saw her, we were gong to be buddies. But I could also tell she’s going to be a handful. We watched our first Chiefs game together last Sunday against the Chargers. I gotta tell you, she wasn’t impressed. I worry about that because I’m afraid her grandma will be able to sway her to the “dark side.” For some crazy reason, my wife’s a stupid Bronco’s fan. And to think of my poor, innocent, little Sofie siding with her is too much for me to take.
I told her to be patient and explained to her that this is a re-building season, just wait till next year. She said grandma told her I’d say that. Yeah, she’s going to be a handful alright. How about it Chiefs? How about winning a couple of your last few games. And if you can’t win them, it’d be nice if you could at least play a decent game. Don’t do it for me. Do it for Sofie. I can tell she wants to believe me when I say you’re all that, but so far you haven’t given her much to go on. Trust me when I say we don’t need another Bronco’s fan in this family.
Actually, it doesn’t really matter whether the Chiefs win or lose. It’s just an excuse for me to get my family together. Either my wife or I make some kind of a huge meal. We have all the snacks and stuff like that. My brother, Aaron and his two kids, Little Aaron and Lisa are usually the first one’s to show up. My oldest son Lucas, his wife Mandy, and their two kids, Krista and Shawn are usually next. Normally, by half time my daughter, Misty, her husband, Travis, show up with their two kids, Adam and now Sofie will finally get here. To say my house is crowded on Sundays is an understatement. Let’s see, just how many is that anyway? Counting my youngest son, who’s still living at home, my wife and myself, the kids and grandkids it looks like there are 14 of us every weekend. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
It’s funny, it seems like the older I get, the faster time goes by. I doubt anyone other than myself realizes I’ve been writing this column for a year now. I’ve written about a lot of things in the past year. You probably realize by now that I’m a pretty conservative guy. I won’t budge on my pro-life beliefs. I have no use whatsoever for anyone who would hurt a child. I believe a man should take care of his own family and not expect the rest of us to do it for him. I believe a marriage can only be between a man and a woman, period. I believe that if you make a mistake you should accept responsibility for it, learn from it, and move on with your life. Oh yeah, I also believe that people who buy into the global warming scam need to get a life. You cry if someone cuts down a tree so a church can build a parking lot. You whine about “green space” all the time. Here’s what you need to do. Get out of the city. Take a road trip with your wife and kids from time to time. You’ll be amazed at all the “green space” you’re going to find. And no, the planet’s not going to die because you drive your car and use a little gas. It’ll be okay.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Journalistic Trash
Ah, Tuesday night. I’ve got the house to myself. The lights and television are all turned off. I’m headed downstairs to write this weeks column. This week was supposed to be a snap. Misty, my daughter was due with her second child Monday. We were finally going to find out if she’s having a boy or a girl. So here it is Tuesday night. No baby. I’m going to stick my neck out here and say it’s going to be a girl. And I’ll bet she’s going to be exactly like her mom and her grandmother. She’s already proven she can be stubborn and has no problem with being late. And it’s a safe bet that I’m going to be in a lot of trouble for saying that.
Now I’ve got to find something else to talk about. I know, how about that investigative hit piece KCTV News out of Kansas City did on Phil Kline earlier this week? They’re all up in arms over the fact Kline fired 7 attorneys when he took over the Johnson County District Attorney‘s office. Apparently they want us to believe this is the first time anything like this has ever happened. It’s funny how they ignore the fact that their hero, Paul Morrison came in and fired 25 or 30 people here in Topeka when he took office as our new Attorney General. Like everyone, I thought it was pretty much standard practice to get rid of your opponent’s supporters and replace them with your own people after such an election. Hey, why let a few silly facts get in the way of a good story, especially when your target happens to be a pro-life conservative.
In an attempt to prove Phil Kline isn’t doing his job they used six months worth of his parking records to see when he came and went. Because of the fact that that these records are routinely deleted from their system the records were woefully incomplete. In fact, there were entire weeks and even entire months not accounted for. But that didn’t deter KCTV from manipulating the numbers they had available to them to come to the conclusion that Kline is spending just 29 hours a week at the Johnson County Courthouse. Oh, what a scandal. You don’t suppose a District Attorney might spend part of his day, at least every once in a while somewhere besides the courthouse, somewhere like an office, preparing for cases do you? Nah, that doesn’t fit into the story. During their six month investigation they claim to have spent weeks on end camping out in front of the apartment Kline has leased in Johnson County to prove he isn’t living there. They followed him from his office in Kansas City to his home in Topeka where his family still lives. Their crack, investigative team followed and filmed Kline’s wife dropping off and picking up their daughter from school in Topeka. Oh my, this scandal just keeps getting better. Imagine, a woman married to an elected official having the nerve to take her daughter to school.
You’d think since this report was the product of a six month investigation KCTV could have found out that Phil Kline said from the beginning his family would continue to live in Topeka. Apparently KCTV isn’t satisfied with the amount of time he spends in the apartment he has leased in Johnson County. But it would appear it fulfills the legal requirements to hold the job whether they like it or not. You’d also think that during this six month, in depth investigation they probably should have discovered the fact that Phil Kline has publicly stated he won’t seek another term as Johnson County District Attorney. Actually, Kline said he’s not interested in any public office so I’m really having trouble understanding what this “scandal ridden” story was suppose to accomplish in the first place. From they way I see it, all it accomplished was to make your station look stupid. The investigation looked like it was done by amateurs, the actors, I mean reporters looked like they were amateurs. Maybe one day the adults will take your station over again and you can actual report the news instead of trying to create it.
I’d like to be the first to nominate your so-called investigation for the “Biggest Piece of Journalistic Crap of the Year Award.” Oh yeah, Robert Hecht, I can’t imagine why you’d allow yourself to become a part of this trash. I’m sure I’m not the only one you disappointed today.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Now I’ve got to find something else to talk about. I know, how about that investigative hit piece KCTV News out of Kansas City did on Phil Kline earlier this week? They’re all up in arms over the fact Kline fired 7 attorneys when he took over the Johnson County District Attorney‘s office. Apparently they want us to believe this is the first time anything like this has ever happened. It’s funny how they ignore the fact that their hero, Paul Morrison came in and fired 25 or 30 people here in Topeka when he took office as our new Attorney General. Like everyone, I thought it was pretty much standard practice to get rid of your opponent’s supporters and replace them with your own people after such an election. Hey, why let a few silly facts get in the way of a good story, especially when your target happens to be a pro-life conservative.
In an attempt to prove Phil Kline isn’t doing his job they used six months worth of his parking records to see when he came and went. Because of the fact that that these records are routinely deleted from their system the records were woefully incomplete. In fact, there were entire weeks and even entire months not accounted for. But that didn’t deter KCTV from manipulating the numbers they had available to them to come to the conclusion that Kline is spending just 29 hours a week at the Johnson County Courthouse. Oh, what a scandal. You don’t suppose a District Attorney might spend part of his day, at least every once in a while somewhere besides the courthouse, somewhere like an office, preparing for cases do you? Nah, that doesn’t fit into the story. During their six month investigation they claim to have spent weeks on end camping out in front of the apartment Kline has leased in Johnson County to prove he isn’t living there. They followed him from his office in Kansas City to his home in Topeka where his family still lives. Their crack, investigative team followed and filmed Kline’s wife dropping off and picking up their daughter from school in Topeka. Oh my, this scandal just keeps getting better. Imagine, a woman married to an elected official having the nerve to take her daughter to school.
You’d think since this report was the product of a six month investigation KCTV could have found out that Phil Kline said from the beginning his family would continue to live in Topeka. Apparently KCTV isn’t satisfied with the amount of time he spends in the apartment he has leased in Johnson County. But it would appear it fulfills the legal requirements to hold the job whether they like it or not. You’d also think that during this six month, in depth investigation they probably should have discovered the fact that Phil Kline has publicly stated he won’t seek another term as Johnson County District Attorney. Actually, Kline said he’s not interested in any public office so I’m really having trouble understanding what this “scandal ridden” story was suppose to accomplish in the first place. From they way I see it, all it accomplished was to make your station look stupid. The investigation looked like it was done by amateurs, the actors, I mean reporters looked like they were amateurs. Maybe one day the adults will take your station over again and you can actual report the news instead of trying to create it.
I’d like to be the first to nominate your so-called investigation for the “Biggest Piece of Journalistic Crap of the Year Award.” Oh yeah, Robert Hecht, I can’t imagine why you’d allow yourself to become a part of this trash. I’m sure I’m not the only one you disappointed today.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Monday, November 19, 2007
Rosa Smith
We were running later than I had hoped and suddenly found ourselves racing the Sun. We had roughly an hour to find it. Not to worry, Eric knew a shortcut. I got to tell you, I had my doubts about his shortcut but what choice did I have? Let’s do it then, I’ve got to get that picture.
Last week I was working in the Liberal, Guymon Oklahoma area. Tuesday and Friday my travels even sent me into Texas. It was kind of a little homecoming for me. I went to grade school in a little town called Keyes Oklahoma, it’s about 30 miles from Guymon and that‘s where my parents did a lot of their shopping. So, yeah it was a cool trip. If you’ve never been to that part of the state, you ought to do it sometime. You can drive for miles and not see a tree. But you will see thousands of yucca plants, sage brush, and the world famous, tumble weeds. My wife used to crack me up. When we lived in Greensburg, she used to cheer on the tumble weeds as they bounced their way across an open field and actually rolled over a fence instead of becoming trapped by it. Hey, you learn to entertain yourself when you live in a small town.
Sorry, I got off track there. Do you remember when I told you about living in Greensburg? I talked about a friend of mine named Eric, who worked at Dillon’s, remember that? I also talked about a road trip we used to take to Belvidere, and I told you that one day Eric and I were going to take that trip again. I stopped by his house on my way back from Liberal last Saturday and we took that trip. And what a trip it was.
Thanks to the “big blow,” as Eric’s wife, Roni, affectionately refers to the Greensburg tornado now live in Haviland. The three of us headed out, we had about 20 miles of country roads, some of them in good shape, some not. I had never been to Belvidere this way, and I though for sure we were lost most of the time. Eric and Roni both assured me this was a good shortcut. Then suddenly we were on the ranch and things started to look familiar. We came into Belvidere from the backside, instead of heading into town, we headed straight up the hill about a mile outside of town. It’s pretty much the highest point around. You can look around and all you can see for miles are the rolling hills and an occasional pond. We pulled over for a couple minutes but we had to keep going, it was going to be dark soon. We drove farther into the ranch. We passed the cattle guard my friend, Tim, crashed his truck into, remember that? Well, I hate it, but they moved that old truck years ago. We drove past the road that lead to Tim’s old house. We eventually went back for a look, but right now we had to keep going. It was about a mile from Tim’s driveway. Or so I thought. We were looking for a trail off the main road. Actually, it was just a couple of cattle trails we used to follow, but it worked.
There it is! You sure? No, but it sure looks like it. See that small hill over there? I’m pretty sure it’s right over there along the creek. You gotta remember, it’s been 18 years since I’ve been down here. We figured we had about 15 or 20 minutes of sunlight left. This had to be the right trail. We went for it. It started out okay, I guess. But after just a couple hundred yards the trail was completely gone. The grass was almost even with the hood of Eric’s truck. I thought for sure he was going to back out. But he kept going. We crested the hill and just he kind of stopped.
There it was. This is where a young girl named Rosa Smith is buried. According the her headstone, she was born in 1868 and died from burns fighting prairie fires in 1884. She was just 16-years old. I’ve always wondered who she was and I used to come here from time to time. I’m not sure why, I just did. I guess I wanted to know her story. I can only imagine how hard it was on her family to have to leave her behind like they did. But most of all, I feel sorry for Rosa for being here in this lonely place. And now after all these years, I was back.
Eric and Roni, thank you for the most memorable road trip I’ve had in years. Take care.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Last week I was working in the Liberal, Guymon Oklahoma area. Tuesday and Friday my travels even sent me into Texas. It was kind of a little homecoming for me. I went to grade school in a little town called Keyes Oklahoma, it’s about 30 miles from Guymon and that‘s where my parents did a lot of their shopping. So, yeah it was a cool trip. If you’ve never been to that part of the state, you ought to do it sometime. You can drive for miles and not see a tree. But you will see thousands of yucca plants, sage brush, and the world famous, tumble weeds. My wife used to crack me up. When we lived in Greensburg, she used to cheer on the tumble weeds as they bounced their way across an open field and actually rolled over a fence instead of becoming trapped by it. Hey, you learn to entertain yourself when you live in a small town.
Sorry, I got off track there. Do you remember when I told you about living in Greensburg? I talked about a friend of mine named Eric, who worked at Dillon’s, remember that? I also talked about a road trip we used to take to Belvidere, and I told you that one day Eric and I were going to take that trip again. I stopped by his house on my way back from Liberal last Saturday and we took that trip. And what a trip it was.
Thanks to the “big blow,” as Eric’s wife, Roni, affectionately refers to the Greensburg tornado now live in Haviland. The three of us headed out, we had about 20 miles of country roads, some of them in good shape, some not. I had never been to Belvidere this way, and I though for sure we were lost most of the time. Eric and Roni both assured me this was a good shortcut. Then suddenly we were on the ranch and things started to look familiar. We came into Belvidere from the backside, instead of heading into town, we headed straight up the hill about a mile outside of town. It’s pretty much the highest point around. You can look around and all you can see for miles are the rolling hills and an occasional pond. We pulled over for a couple minutes but we had to keep going, it was going to be dark soon. We drove farther into the ranch. We passed the cattle guard my friend, Tim, crashed his truck into, remember that? Well, I hate it, but they moved that old truck years ago. We drove past the road that lead to Tim’s old house. We eventually went back for a look, but right now we had to keep going. It was about a mile from Tim’s driveway. Or so I thought. We were looking for a trail off the main road. Actually, it was just a couple of cattle trails we used to follow, but it worked.
There it is! You sure? No, but it sure looks like it. See that small hill over there? I’m pretty sure it’s right over there along the creek. You gotta remember, it’s been 18 years since I’ve been down here. We figured we had about 15 or 20 minutes of sunlight left. This had to be the right trail. We went for it. It started out okay, I guess. But after just a couple hundred yards the trail was completely gone. The grass was almost even with the hood of Eric’s truck. I thought for sure he was going to back out. But he kept going. We crested the hill and just he kind of stopped.
There it was. This is where a young girl named Rosa Smith is buried. According the her headstone, she was born in 1868 and died from burns fighting prairie fires in 1884. She was just 16-years old. I’ve always wondered who she was and I used to come here from time to time. I’m not sure why, I just did. I guess I wanted to know her story. I can only imagine how hard it was on her family to have to leave her behind like they did. But most of all, I feel sorry for Rosa for being here in this lonely place. And now after all these years, I was back.
Eric and Roni, thank you for the most memorable road trip I’ve had in years. Take care.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Sunday, November 11, 2007
We're All Doomed
I’ve spent a lot of time out of town lately, in fact, this week I’m hanging out in beautiful, Liberal Kansas. I hate being gone but it gives me a chance to read newspapers from other parts of the state. I’m a big letters to the editor fan and I’ve got to tell you Governor, a lot of people in southwestern Kansas are mad as hell. But then I spent last week in Garnett. Looks like they feel the same way in southeast Kansas too Governor. And according to the letter in last week’s Metro from Senate President, Steve Morris and Speaker of the House, Melvin Neufeld it looks like you ticked them off too. Good luck getting anything done for the rest of your term. I’d be willing to bet that a lot of that Republican cooperation you’ve always enjoyed is going to be a little harder to come by from here on out.
I understand that the whole Holcomb power plant thing was politically motivated. That much I get. But what’s your problem with the Kansas wine industry? Your people say you were trying to be funny. I’ve got to tell you Governor, you’re not a funny person. I’ve done my best to defend you though. I’ve tried explaining that it was because of the Hollywood writers strike. Sorry, most people I’ve talked to aren’t buying it.
I don’t want to mislead you, there are plenty of letters from true, dedicated, followers of the global warming movement. In one letter, a woman talked about a family picnic. She said that while the others were off having fun being together, all she could feel was sadness because of all those Styrofoam cups and plastic plates and what they were doing to mother earth. In another one, a man said the debate was over. His kids were doomed. He pointed to the melting glaciers and drowning polar bears as his proof. The man was terrified. Most all of them follow the same theme, we’re all going to die. And it’s all America’s fault.
I‘ve got to be honest here, you had me once. Remember back in the seventies, when hair spray was destroying the ozone layer? Then you gave us the really bad news. It seemed the earth was cooling and we were headed toward another ice age. The polar ice cap was expanding at an alarming rate, all the crops were going to die, and there was going to be mass starvation. Remember that? Yep, the debate was over. We were all doomed.
Guess what? You were wrong. None of the dire predictions you made came true, did they? In fact you’ve been wrong about almost every weather related prediction you’ve ever made. Just look at this year’s hurricane season. It was supposed to be the worst one ever. Didn’t happen, did it? Kind of makes you look a little foolish, doesn’t it?
The global cooling hysteria of the 70’s gave us environmental laws that have pretty much shut down domestic oil production. We haven’t built an oil refinery in what, 30 years? These laws are directly responsible for our current dependency on foreign oil and we’ve all seen how successful that’s been. You’ve just got to love $100 a barrel oil. Now you’ve turned your efforts towards making America dependent on our electricity needs. Why?
Governor, I hope your efforts pay off for you in the form of a cabinet position in Washington or whatever it is you’re looking for by shutting down the Holcomb plant. Because it looks like you’ve made so many enemies here in Kansas that even your tree hugging supporters in Douglas and Johnson County can’t help you this time. Good luck, you’re going to need it.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
I understand that the whole Holcomb power plant thing was politically motivated. That much I get. But what’s your problem with the Kansas wine industry? Your people say you were trying to be funny. I’ve got to tell you Governor, you’re not a funny person. I’ve done my best to defend you though. I’ve tried explaining that it was because of the Hollywood writers strike. Sorry, most people I’ve talked to aren’t buying it.
I don’t want to mislead you, there are plenty of letters from true, dedicated, followers of the global warming movement. In one letter, a woman talked about a family picnic. She said that while the others were off having fun being together, all she could feel was sadness because of all those Styrofoam cups and plastic plates and what they were doing to mother earth. In another one, a man said the debate was over. His kids were doomed. He pointed to the melting glaciers and drowning polar bears as his proof. The man was terrified. Most all of them follow the same theme, we’re all going to die. And it’s all America’s fault.
I‘ve got to be honest here, you had me once. Remember back in the seventies, when hair spray was destroying the ozone layer? Then you gave us the really bad news. It seemed the earth was cooling and we were headed toward another ice age. The polar ice cap was expanding at an alarming rate, all the crops were going to die, and there was going to be mass starvation. Remember that? Yep, the debate was over. We were all doomed.
Guess what? You were wrong. None of the dire predictions you made came true, did they? In fact you’ve been wrong about almost every weather related prediction you’ve ever made. Just look at this year’s hurricane season. It was supposed to be the worst one ever. Didn’t happen, did it? Kind of makes you look a little foolish, doesn’t it?
The global cooling hysteria of the 70’s gave us environmental laws that have pretty much shut down domestic oil production. We haven’t built an oil refinery in what, 30 years? These laws are directly responsible for our current dependency on foreign oil and we’ve all seen how successful that’s been. You’ve just got to love $100 a barrel oil. Now you’ve turned your efforts towards making America dependent on our electricity needs. Why?
Governor, I hope your efforts pay off for you in the form of a cabinet position in Washington or whatever it is you’re looking for by shutting down the Holcomb plant. Because it looks like you’ve made so many enemies here in Kansas that even your tree hugging supporters in Douglas and Johnson County can’t help you this time. Good luck, you’re going to need it.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Shawn Lucas
He’s here! 8 pounds-14 ounces and he’s 21 inches long! Hurry up guys, I want you to meet my son! Those were the words of my oldest son as he burst through the door of the waiting room at Stormont-Vail last Monday afternoon.
I’m not sure if there’s a better time in a man’s life than the moment one of your own kids hand you their own new born child for the first time. No, life doesn’t get much better than that. If you’re already a grandpa, you know what I’m talking about. If not, be patient, it’ll be your turn sooner than you think.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve always loved being a dad. But man, there’s so much work involved. It starts as soon as the kids are born. First, you have to be there for that. Then there’s the stinking, diaper thing. God, I used to hate that. There’s the sleepless nights and as I’ve found out, those nights can last well into their teenage years. Being a dad, you’re expected to be the bad guy sometimes. I was never good at that part but I did try. And yes, I made plenty of mistakes.
Being a grandpa is so much easier. Take the delivery room thing. Been there done that. And I don’t ever have to do it again. Yeah, sitting in the waiting room for someone to come get you is way better. By the time you see the baby, he’s been cleaned up and they have him all wrapped up in his blanket. Yeah, the dirty diaper thing has already started. But it’s not my problem. And as for having to be the bad guy. That’s not my job anymore. I see my roll as the spoiler. I pretty much let them do whatever they want and send them home to let their parents figure it out. Maybe, deep down it’s my way of paying my kids back for some of the crap they pulled when they were younger. Just kidding.
My son and his wife named their little boy Shawn Lucas. My son’s name is Lucas and my middle name is Shawn. Yeah, they named him after the old man. Life doesn’t get much better than that.
Shawn and I have had a couple of pretty good talks. I can already tell he’s going to be a good football buddy. You should have seen his eyes light up when I told him the Chiefs were playing Denver at home this weekend. I’ve already told him not to worry if his parents won’t let him have that candy bar he wants. He can come over to grandpa’s and have all the candy he wants. Oh yeah, that new toy he wants and his dad said no. I’ve got that covered too. Yeah, this is going to be fun. I think he’s excited about going to Lone Duck Campground Colorado in August. He’ll be 9 months old by then. I wonder if that’s to young for him to learn how to light the camp fire. Just kidding.
I’m not sure what I’ve ever done to deserve the blessings I’ve been given. And you’d think having a grandson in November is as good as it gets. But there’s more. My daughter and her husband are expecting their second child and she’s due in about 3 weeks. Two new grandkids in one month! How cool is that?
So Shawn, enjoy being the baby of the family while you can. I’d like to be able to tell you if your new cousin is going to be a boy or a girl but your aunt Misty decided she wanted to be surprised. I’ve explained to her that I’m not a big fan of surprises. She explained to me that that’s too bad. Yeah, being a grandpa is alot easier.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
I’m not sure if there’s a better time in a man’s life than the moment one of your own kids hand you their own new born child for the first time. No, life doesn’t get much better than that. If you’re already a grandpa, you know what I’m talking about. If not, be patient, it’ll be your turn sooner than you think.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve always loved being a dad. But man, there’s so much work involved. It starts as soon as the kids are born. First, you have to be there for that. Then there’s the stinking, diaper thing. God, I used to hate that. There’s the sleepless nights and as I’ve found out, those nights can last well into their teenage years. Being a dad, you’re expected to be the bad guy sometimes. I was never good at that part but I did try. And yes, I made plenty of mistakes.
Being a grandpa is so much easier. Take the delivery room thing. Been there done that. And I don’t ever have to do it again. Yeah, sitting in the waiting room for someone to come get you is way better. By the time you see the baby, he’s been cleaned up and they have him all wrapped up in his blanket. Yeah, the dirty diaper thing has already started. But it’s not my problem. And as for having to be the bad guy. That’s not my job anymore. I see my roll as the spoiler. I pretty much let them do whatever they want and send them home to let their parents figure it out. Maybe, deep down it’s my way of paying my kids back for some of the crap they pulled when they were younger. Just kidding.
My son and his wife named their little boy Shawn Lucas. My son’s name is Lucas and my middle name is Shawn. Yeah, they named him after the old man. Life doesn’t get much better than that.
Shawn and I have had a couple of pretty good talks. I can already tell he’s going to be a good football buddy. You should have seen his eyes light up when I told him the Chiefs were playing Denver at home this weekend. I’ve already told him not to worry if his parents won’t let him have that candy bar he wants. He can come over to grandpa’s and have all the candy he wants. Oh yeah, that new toy he wants and his dad said no. I’ve got that covered too. Yeah, this is going to be fun. I think he’s excited about going to Lone Duck Campground Colorado in August. He’ll be 9 months old by then. I wonder if that’s to young for him to learn how to light the camp fire. Just kidding.
I’m not sure what I’ve ever done to deserve the blessings I’ve been given. And you’d think having a grandson in November is as good as it gets. But there’s more. My daughter and her husband are expecting their second child and she’s due in about 3 weeks. Two new grandkids in one month! How cool is that?
So Shawn, enjoy being the baby of the family while you can. I’d like to be able to tell you if your new cousin is going to be a boy or a girl but your aunt Misty decided she wanted to be surprised. I’ve explained to her that I’m not a big fan of surprises. She explained to me that that’s too bad. Yeah, being a grandpa is alot easier.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
No Winners Here
It’s pretty bad if you think there’s a winner here. Those were the words of Kevin Montgomery as he responded to the news that his wife, Lisa Montgomery had just been sentenced to death for the murder of a young woman named Bobby Jo Stinnett. Fred Duchardt, Montgomery’s lead attorney said it’s a sad, sad day. Lisa is a fragile, wonderful person and is just heartsick over what happened to Bobby Jo, and her family. She’s heartsick over what “happened” to Bobby Jo?
Bobby Jo has been described as a sweet and loving wife, daughter, sister, and would have made a wonderful mother. She and her husband were expecting their first child. They were about a month away from what should have the best time of their lives. But they weren’t given that chance, were they Mr. Duchardt? Your fragile client saw to that, didn’t she?
You say she suffered from delusions that she was pregnant. No she didn’t and you know it. The fact that she altered images of a sonogram she got off the internet to included her name, kind of proves she knew she wasn’t, doesn’t it? But let’s just say she really did believe she was pregnant. How does that justify what she did?
You claim she was insane and didn’t understand that what she was doing was wrong. Whatever. She knew exactly what she was doing, and you know that too. This unbelievably, savage murder didn’t just happen, did it Mr. Duchardt? Your fragile client had been planning it for months. She had gotten to know Bobby Jo through dog shows. Once she found out Bobby Jo was pregnant, she went to great lengths to gain her trust. She found out when she was due. She found out where she lived. She found out what time of the day she would be home alone. She went to the internet to learn how a Caesarean section is done. She had her alibi all laid out. She would claim to be shopping in Topeka and went into labor. She set up a time to meet Bobby Jo at her home in Skidmore Missouri to buy a dog. The trap had been set.
The fact that Lisa Montgomery had been repeatedly raped by her step-father when she was a young girl is a tragic story. I think it makes a good case that the death penalty should be extended to child rapists. But still, it doesn’t give her the right to kill. If society accepts a horrible childhood as an excuse to kill someone, we’re in big trouble.
Here’s the deal, I’m not a big death penalty guy for two reasons. First, there have been innocent people put to death. How do you make that right? And second, there’s really no such thing as a life sentence. People who have been sentenced to life in prison for murder are paroled all the time. Why do they have the right to pursue their lives again when their victims are still dead.
Lisa Montgomery was given the benefit of a trial. She had the right to have someone plead her case to a jury, someone who would do everything in their power to save her life. Bobby Jo wasn’t given that chance. She was the victim of a calculated, cold-blooded murder because Lisa Montgomery wanted to literally cut her baby out of her body. Because of this, the jury reached the right decision.
The appeal process will drag on for years. After a while people will forget about what happened to Bobby Jo and her family. And Lisa Montgomery will be thought of as the victim.
No, Lisa Montgomery, isn’t insane. She’s evil. And the only way to beat evil is to destroy it. I still think Kevin Montgomery said it best though. It’s pretty bad if you think there’s a winner here.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Bobby Jo has been described as a sweet and loving wife, daughter, sister, and would have made a wonderful mother. She and her husband were expecting their first child. They were about a month away from what should have the best time of their lives. But they weren’t given that chance, were they Mr. Duchardt? Your fragile client saw to that, didn’t she?
You say she suffered from delusions that she was pregnant. No she didn’t and you know it. The fact that she altered images of a sonogram she got off the internet to included her name, kind of proves she knew she wasn’t, doesn’t it? But let’s just say she really did believe she was pregnant. How does that justify what she did?
You claim she was insane and didn’t understand that what she was doing was wrong. Whatever. She knew exactly what she was doing, and you know that too. This unbelievably, savage murder didn’t just happen, did it Mr. Duchardt? Your fragile client had been planning it for months. She had gotten to know Bobby Jo through dog shows. Once she found out Bobby Jo was pregnant, she went to great lengths to gain her trust. She found out when she was due. She found out where she lived. She found out what time of the day she would be home alone. She went to the internet to learn how a Caesarean section is done. She had her alibi all laid out. She would claim to be shopping in Topeka and went into labor. She set up a time to meet Bobby Jo at her home in Skidmore Missouri to buy a dog. The trap had been set.
The fact that Lisa Montgomery had been repeatedly raped by her step-father when she was a young girl is a tragic story. I think it makes a good case that the death penalty should be extended to child rapists. But still, it doesn’t give her the right to kill. If society accepts a horrible childhood as an excuse to kill someone, we’re in big trouble.
Here’s the deal, I’m not a big death penalty guy for two reasons. First, there have been innocent people put to death. How do you make that right? And second, there’s really no such thing as a life sentence. People who have been sentenced to life in prison for murder are paroled all the time. Why do they have the right to pursue their lives again when their victims are still dead.
Lisa Montgomery was given the benefit of a trial. She had the right to have someone plead her case to a jury, someone who would do everything in their power to save her life. Bobby Jo wasn’t given that chance. She was the victim of a calculated, cold-blooded murder because Lisa Montgomery wanted to literally cut her baby out of her body. Because of this, the jury reached the right decision.
The appeal process will drag on for years. After a while people will forget about what happened to Bobby Jo and her family. And Lisa Montgomery will be thought of as the victim.
No, Lisa Montgomery, isn’t insane. She’s evil. And the only way to beat evil is to destroy it. I still think Kevin Montgomery said it best though. It’s pretty bad if you think there’s a winner here.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
So Much For Being A Consrevative
You know, I just hate this. Now my wife is mad at me because I offended a friend of hers. Gee whiz Angie, I’m sorry. Now tell my wife to get off my back, will you?
Okay, let’s get down to business. As we all know, Bush’s approval rating is at an all time low. No surprises there. But have you noticed we don’t really hear much about that these days from the main stream media? You don’t suppose it has anything to do with Congress having even a lower approval rating, do you? We voted for change in 06, remember that? Well, we got change alright. We got non-stop attacks and endless investigations. The Democrats in Congress aren’t satisfied with simply destroying their political opponents. Harry Reid himself led the charge with the backing of the entire Democrat controlled Congress against a radio, talk show host, a private citizen if you will. You know the story. You probably know about the letter signed by 41 Democrat Senators that was sent to Clear Channel radio station, demanding they pressure this talk show host to apologize for comments they concocted. Well, they picked the wrong talk show host to attack. And I just love the way it all blew up in their faces. Like everything he does, Rush Limbaugh fought back and even sold the letter on e-bay to raise funds to help the kids of Marines killed in action go to college. How cool is that? Kids of our fallen soldiers get to go to college, Rush came out stronger than ever. And once again, Harry Reid came out looking like a fool. As my grandson would probably say. Face!
Sorry, I got a little sidetracked there. What I really want to talk about today is the Topeka High School-condom scandal. First let me say, I don’t believe the principle was unaware of the fact that just down the hall from her office, condoms were being given to students from the school nurse‘s office. The reaction was immediate. Acting Superintendent, Terry Sandlin rightfully put a stop to it. Parents were outraged to learn the school would do something like this behind their backs. I agree with them. This is an issue that should be discussed in public, and not be left up to a school nurse. And it’s an issue that’s not going to go away anytime soon.
Like everything, there are two very different sides to this story. There’s the abstinence only side. On this side, parents want to be the one’s to teach their kids about sex and birth control. This side tends to be made up of mostly the pro-life, religious right. And there’s the wacko, liberal left, anything goes side that believe this is a good thing, because kids are going to have sex whether their parents like it or not.
I’ve never tried to hide my conservative views. And to borrow a recent quote from Phill Kline, I make no apologies for my pro-life beliefs. Here’s how I see this issue. We can talk to our kids about sex until we’re blue in the face. We can spend years telling them about the dangers of having sex at such an early age. We can explain the risks of becoming pregnant or getting infected with a sexually transmitted disease that could be fatal.
In a perfect world this would be the perfect approach. But you know what? This isn’t a perfect world. As our kids become teenagers we lose a lot of control over them. We hope they always make the right decisions. But you know what else? Sometimes they don’t. High School kids by the thousands have been making the decision to have sex since the beginning of time, it’s nothing new. Look, the kids who were getting these free condoms are more than likely already having sex whether parents want to believe it or not.
Should a school nurse take it upon herself to make them available in a public school? No. It needs to be publicly discussed first. But in my mind, if it saves even one baby from being killed at the hands of an abortionist. Or if it saves even one of our kids from dying of AIDS, it’s worth it.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Okay, let’s get down to business. As we all know, Bush’s approval rating is at an all time low. No surprises there. But have you noticed we don’t really hear much about that these days from the main stream media? You don’t suppose it has anything to do with Congress having even a lower approval rating, do you? We voted for change in 06, remember that? Well, we got change alright. We got non-stop attacks and endless investigations. The Democrats in Congress aren’t satisfied with simply destroying their political opponents. Harry Reid himself led the charge with the backing of the entire Democrat controlled Congress against a radio, talk show host, a private citizen if you will. You know the story. You probably know about the letter signed by 41 Democrat Senators that was sent to Clear Channel radio station, demanding they pressure this talk show host to apologize for comments they concocted. Well, they picked the wrong talk show host to attack. And I just love the way it all blew up in their faces. Like everything he does, Rush Limbaugh fought back and even sold the letter on e-bay to raise funds to help the kids of Marines killed in action go to college. How cool is that? Kids of our fallen soldiers get to go to college, Rush came out stronger than ever. And once again, Harry Reid came out looking like a fool. As my grandson would probably say. Face!
Sorry, I got a little sidetracked there. What I really want to talk about today is the Topeka High School-condom scandal. First let me say, I don’t believe the principle was unaware of the fact that just down the hall from her office, condoms were being given to students from the school nurse‘s office. The reaction was immediate. Acting Superintendent, Terry Sandlin rightfully put a stop to it. Parents were outraged to learn the school would do something like this behind their backs. I agree with them. This is an issue that should be discussed in public, and not be left up to a school nurse. And it’s an issue that’s not going to go away anytime soon.
Like everything, there are two very different sides to this story. There’s the abstinence only side. On this side, parents want to be the one’s to teach their kids about sex and birth control. This side tends to be made up of mostly the pro-life, religious right. And there’s the wacko, liberal left, anything goes side that believe this is a good thing, because kids are going to have sex whether their parents like it or not.
I’ve never tried to hide my conservative views. And to borrow a recent quote from Phill Kline, I make no apologies for my pro-life beliefs. Here’s how I see this issue. We can talk to our kids about sex until we’re blue in the face. We can spend years telling them about the dangers of having sex at such an early age. We can explain the risks of becoming pregnant or getting infected with a sexually transmitted disease that could be fatal.
In a perfect world this would be the perfect approach. But you know what? This isn’t a perfect world. As our kids become teenagers we lose a lot of control over them. We hope they always make the right decisions. But you know what else? Sometimes they don’t. High School kids by the thousands have been making the decision to have sex since the beginning of time, it’s nothing new. Look, the kids who were getting these free condoms are more than likely already having sex whether parents want to believe it or not.
Should a school nurse take it upon herself to make them available in a public school? No. It needs to be publicly discussed first. But in my mind, if it saves even one baby from being killed at the hands of an abortionist. Or if it saves even one of our kids from dying of AIDS, it’s worth it.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Global Warming Money Making Machine
Well, well, well. Al Gore, the High Priest of the “Global Warming,” money making machine has won the Nobel Peace Prize. I’m not even sure how to address that, except to say, you’ve got to be kidding me. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, they bestowed the same honor on Jimmy Carter a while back. You probably remember Mr. Carter, he was the peanut farmer from Georgia, turned president. He might have been good at growing peanuts, I don’t know. But as president, I’ll always remember him as the weakest, most pathetic, president the United States has ever had. But what do I know, I’m just an old guy. I can hardly wait to see who’s next. How about Sean Penn, Rosie O’Donnell, O.J. Simpson, or maybe Michael Moore. I know, let’s give one to Bin Laden. I mean what the hell, he’s just doing what he believes in, right? Then maybe we could all have a well deserved, group hug and just maybe, if we’re understanding enough towards his feelings, we can become friends. How about our good buddy to the south of us, Hugo Chavez or one of his American supporters like Harry Belafonte or Danny Glubber. If they keep lowering the bar to qualify, sooner or later everybody will have one. It won’t be worth anything, but it would make a really cool paper weight.
You gotta hand it to Al, he’s been a busy man. Not only did he invent the internet and brought the global warming hysteria to a theater near you. He also had a hand in bringing us a whole slew of really cool, new catch phrases. Phrases like, global warming, global warming crisis, climate change, climate crisis, CO2 emissions, carbon footprints, carbon credits, greenies, green space, green cities, green building, fossil fuels, bio-fuels, renewable energy, E-85, and tree huggers. He’s also demonstrated a certain level of hypocrisy that only a handful of men are capable of. Way to go, Al!
I noticed a sign on the front of a small bike shop in Lawrence the other day, “Save the planet, buy a bike!” Like usual, I’m probably being overly cynical, but it seems to me that the owner of this bike shop is simply using Al Gore’s hysteria to make a buck. If he were really concerned about saving the planet, instead of lining his own pocket, his sign might have read “Save the planet, ride a bike.”
How about those canvas shopping bags people are using? Instead of paper or plastic, they can say no thanks, I’m saving the planet, I brought my own canvas bag. Nothing wrong with that. But do you really believe the companies that make those bags are doing it to save the planet? No, they making them to sell for a profit. Do you really believe the grocery stores that sell these bags are doing it to save the planet? If that were the case, why do they plaster their name all over it. They use them as a way to advertise their business. You got it, they’re using these bags as a way to cash in on Al Gore’s hysteria to make a buck. My all time, favorite canvas bag story came from Los Angeles. A store out there is selling “designer” canvas bags for $960.00 apiece. Hey, if you’re going to cash in on global warming, you might as well go all out.
Again, it’s probably just me, but it looks like history is about to repeat itself. The environmental policies of the last 30 or 40 years have forced us to become dependent on foreign oil. Now the environmentalists are taking aim at those “evil,” coal fired, powered plants like the one they want to build in western Kansas. What happens if they successfully shut these plants down like they want? Will solar and wind power produce enough electricity to meet the energy demands of the future? Probably not. More than likely, we’ll be importing our electricity from Mexico. Now that’s a comforting thought.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
You gotta hand it to Al, he’s been a busy man. Not only did he invent the internet and brought the global warming hysteria to a theater near you. He also had a hand in bringing us a whole slew of really cool, new catch phrases. Phrases like, global warming, global warming crisis, climate change, climate crisis, CO2 emissions, carbon footprints, carbon credits, greenies, green space, green cities, green building, fossil fuels, bio-fuels, renewable energy, E-85, and tree huggers. He’s also demonstrated a certain level of hypocrisy that only a handful of men are capable of. Way to go, Al!
I noticed a sign on the front of a small bike shop in Lawrence the other day, “Save the planet, buy a bike!” Like usual, I’m probably being overly cynical, but it seems to me that the owner of this bike shop is simply using Al Gore’s hysteria to make a buck. If he were really concerned about saving the planet, instead of lining his own pocket, his sign might have read “Save the planet, ride a bike.”
How about those canvas shopping bags people are using? Instead of paper or plastic, they can say no thanks, I’m saving the planet, I brought my own canvas bag. Nothing wrong with that. But do you really believe the companies that make those bags are doing it to save the planet? No, they making them to sell for a profit. Do you really believe the grocery stores that sell these bags are doing it to save the planet? If that were the case, why do they plaster their name all over it. They use them as a way to advertise their business. You got it, they’re using these bags as a way to cash in on Al Gore’s hysteria to make a buck. My all time, favorite canvas bag story came from Los Angeles. A store out there is selling “designer” canvas bags for $960.00 apiece. Hey, if you’re going to cash in on global warming, you might as well go all out.
Again, it’s probably just me, but it looks like history is about to repeat itself. The environmental policies of the last 30 or 40 years have forced us to become dependent on foreign oil. Now the environmentalists are taking aim at those “evil,” coal fired, powered plants like the one they want to build in western Kansas. What happens if they successfully shut these plants down like they want? Will solar and wind power produce enough electricity to meet the energy demands of the future? Probably not. More than likely, we’ll be importing our electricity from Mexico. Now that’s a comforting thought.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Fed Up With The Drama
The “it’s for the children” campaign is now in full swing. Just look at the “State Children’s Health Insurance Program” (SCHIPS.) This has been pushed through congress as some kind of huge, bi-partisan, children’s health care program. A breakthrough if you will. I mean what politician could walk away from saving the children during the campaign season. They’ve gotten so serious about saving the kids with this one, they’ve even included the kids of parents who make up to $83,000 a year. I’ll tell you straight up, I don’t lose much sleep worrying about the health insurance woes of people making more money than I do. And I’m sure not willing to pay for it with the massive tax increase this program would require.
Enough of that for now, I’ve spent most of this week out of town and I gotta tell you, it’s been nice to get away from all the drama this town keeps dishing out. I can hardly wait to see what’s coming once we get past our current “Fire Chief” crisis. Speaking of the Fire Chief. Howard Gile’s do the right thing. If you can’t handle the job, step aside. If you believe you can do the job, step up to the plate and do it then.
Look, I’m not looking for a fight with the union. I was in the teamsters union for about ten years myself. I finally decided I didn’t really fit into the group way of thinking that was increasingly demanded of me. Besides, I never really felt the need to have someone speak for me. No, I’m not anti-union. It just didn’t work for me.
But hey, just for the fun of it, let’s throw out a what if situation today. Consider the ramifications if the circumstances were reversed. For example, what if the Mayor, the City Manager, and the entire City Council were publicly demanding the resignation of one of their union brothers. Let’s say they were all doing daily interviews with the local newspapers and television stations. After that, they turned their efforts to the local airwaves of one of our most popular, radio talk shows like “The Jim Cates Show” to tell the public what a loser this person was. What if they decided to picket the fire station this person works out of until they were finally humiliated enough to give up and resign. There’d be hell to pay, that’s what. The lawsuits would be immediate.
I realize I’m on the outside, looking in. But it appears the whole thing boils down to the fact that the firefighters don’t like their boss. The complaint I’ve heard most often from the union is that the Chief wants to change things. He doesn’t do things like they’ve always done them. Maybe things like holding union members accountable for things that are required of them. Things like being required to live in Shawnee County to be a Topeka firefighter in the first place. I personally know of more than one instance of firefighters living outside the county. Think it doesn’t happen? Think again. Oh yeah, how about the long standing practice of taking care of personal business on company (tax- payer’s) time. Things like working on friends and family members lawnmower’s, cars, trucks, and motorcycles while they’re on duty. No, I won’t mention names here, but believe me when I tell you it happens all the time and it’s been going on for years. I don’t suppose you’ll ever hear the union talking about any of this. You know, what happens in the union brotherhood, stays in the union brotherhood. Besides, people aren’t supposed to know about any of this.
To me it comes down to one simple issue. Is the fire department able to respond to fires and other emergencies when called upon to do so. Again, from the outside it would appear they’re very capable of responding and doing so in a very professional manner. To me, it looks like the fire department is working. Could it be better? I’m sure it could. But has Howard Giles really done anything he deserves to be fired for? So far, I’m not convinced he has.
How about both sides scheduling another meeting to resolve the issues that are the most pressing. Resolve them, and quit acting like a bunch of damned kids. The non-stop drama coming out of this town is making Topeka the laughing stock of Kansas.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Enough of that for now, I’ve spent most of this week out of town and I gotta tell you, it’s been nice to get away from all the drama this town keeps dishing out. I can hardly wait to see what’s coming once we get past our current “Fire Chief” crisis. Speaking of the Fire Chief. Howard Gile’s do the right thing. If you can’t handle the job, step aside. If you believe you can do the job, step up to the plate and do it then.
Look, I’m not looking for a fight with the union. I was in the teamsters union for about ten years myself. I finally decided I didn’t really fit into the group way of thinking that was increasingly demanded of me. Besides, I never really felt the need to have someone speak for me. No, I’m not anti-union. It just didn’t work for me.
But hey, just for the fun of it, let’s throw out a what if situation today. Consider the ramifications if the circumstances were reversed. For example, what if the Mayor, the City Manager, and the entire City Council were publicly demanding the resignation of one of their union brothers. Let’s say they were all doing daily interviews with the local newspapers and television stations. After that, they turned their efforts to the local airwaves of one of our most popular, radio talk shows like “The Jim Cates Show” to tell the public what a loser this person was. What if they decided to picket the fire station this person works out of until they were finally humiliated enough to give up and resign. There’d be hell to pay, that’s what. The lawsuits would be immediate.
I realize I’m on the outside, looking in. But it appears the whole thing boils down to the fact that the firefighters don’t like their boss. The complaint I’ve heard most often from the union is that the Chief wants to change things. He doesn’t do things like they’ve always done them. Maybe things like holding union members accountable for things that are required of them. Things like being required to live in Shawnee County to be a Topeka firefighter in the first place. I personally know of more than one instance of firefighters living outside the county. Think it doesn’t happen? Think again. Oh yeah, how about the long standing practice of taking care of personal business on company (tax- payer’s) time. Things like working on friends and family members lawnmower’s, cars, trucks, and motorcycles while they’re on duty. No, I won’t mention names here, but believe me when I tell you it happens all the time and it’s been going on for years. I don’t suppose you’ll ever hear the union talking about any of this. You know, what happens in the union brotherhood, stays in the union brotherhood. Besides, people aren’t supposed to know about any of this.
To me it comes down to one simple issue. Is the fire department able to respond to fires and other emergencies when called upon to do so. Again, from the outside it would appear they’re very capable of responding and doing so in a very professional manner. To me, it looks like the fire department is working. Could it be better? I’m sure it could. But has Howard Giles really done anything he deserves to be fired for? So far, I’m not convinced he has.
How about both sides scheduling another meeting to resolve the issues that are the most pressing. Resolve them, and quit acting like a bunch of damned kids. The non-stop drama coming out of this town is making Topeka the laughing stock of Kansas.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The Law's A Funny Thing
Laws are a funny things, aren’t they? Take the laws concerning late term abortions in Kansas for instance. In 1998, laws were passed specifically prohibiting an abortion after 21 weeks of pregnancy. The line was drawn at 21 weeks because it’s been proven that if given the chance, a baby can survive outside it’s mothers womb after that time. The only exception to the law, is if the continuation of the pregnancy could lead to death or “substantial and irreversible” harm to a “major bodily function” of the mother. Sounds reasonable and pretty clear to me.
Included in these laws are reporting requirements. If a late term abortion is determined to be necessary to save the life of a mother, two doctors, who have no financial or professional ties are required to report to the State what medical condition existed that led them to this decision.
Since the Kansas law took effect in 1998, George Tiller, of Wichita has preformed over 2,600 late term abortions. In almost every case he simply states it was necessary to save the woman from “substantial and irreversible” harm to a “major bodily function.” He’s simply repeating what the law says. To be fair, in a few cases he has actually stated that the late term abortion was necessary to save the woman because of mental health issues. Yeah, the woman was depressed. It was revealed a few weeks ago that one of these women who suffered from the mental health issue was depressed because her pregnancy was going to interfere with a rock concert she wanted to attend.
There are laws on the books that says it’s illegal to have sex with a child. There are also laws on the books requiring medical professionals to report suspected cases of child abuse to the state. I assume raping a 10 year-old girl would fall into the category of child abuse. During Phil Cline’s investigation of Tiller, it was revealed that girls as young as 10 and 12-years old had had abortions at his clinic, and no report was ever forwarded to the state. Now I’m not an attorney or anything, but it sure looks like a few laws were broken on this one. To me, it looks like a child rapist was able to cover his crime by aborting the evidence with no questions asked.
We have elected officials who are charged with enforcing the laws of the land. Their job is to enforce all laws, not just the one’s they agree with. Take Paul Morrison for instance. He dropped all charges against Tiller as soon as he took office as our new Attorney General. He said he’d conduct his own investigation. After seven or eight months in office he did finally come up with his own charges against Tiller. The best he could force himself to come up with was 19 lousy misdemeanor charges of having financial ties with the doctor Tiller had collaborated with.
Sorry Paul, but there’s another law on the books you’re not going to like. It took effect in 1970, and it allows the citizens of Kansas to demand the seating of a grand jury to investigate crimes when they’re not satisfied with the job our elected officials are doing. I don’t know exactly how it works. But it takes a certain percentage of registered voters to sign a petition to call for a grand jury. In the case of Segwick County the percentage they needed came out to 2,449 signatures. In the end they presented the county with 6,963 signatures, or almost three times more than were required. What’s that tell you about your job approval rating in Segwick County Paul?
The petition specifically states that District Attorney, Nola Foulston and anyone associated with her office should not be allowed to participate in the investigation because of her personal friendship with Tiller. Almost 7,000 citizens signed this petition. What’s that say about her job approval rating? Yeah, the law’s a funny thing.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Included in these laws are reporting requirements. If a late term abortion is determined to be necessary to save the life of a mother, two doctors, who have no financial or professional ties are required to report to the State what medical condition existed that led them to this decision.
Since the Kansas law took effect in 1998, George Tiller, of Wichita has preformed over 2,600 late term abortions. In almost every case he simply states it was necessary to save the woman from “substantial and irreversible” harm to a “major bodily function.” He’s simply repeating what the law says. To be fair, in a few cases he has actually stated that the late term abortion was necessary to save the woman because of mental health issues. Yeah, the woman was depressed. It was revealed a few weeks ago that one of these women who suffered from the mental health issue was depressed because her pregnancy was going to interfere with a rock concert she wanted to attend.
There are laws on the books that says it’s illegal to have sex with a child. There are also laws on the books requiring medical professionals to report suspected cases of child abuse to the state. I assume raping a 10 year-old girl would fall into the category of child abuse. During Phil Cline’s investigation of Tiller, it was revealed that girls as young as 10 and 12-years old had had abortions at his clinic, and no report was ever forwarded to the state. Now I’m not an attorney or anything, but it sure looks like a few laws were broken on this one. To me, it looks like a child rapist was able to cover his crime by aborting the evidence with no questions asked.
We have elected officials who are charged with enforcing the laws of the land. Their job is to enforce all laws, not just the one’s they agree with. Take Paul Morrison for instance. He dropped all charges against Tiller as soon as he took office as our new Attorney General. He said he’d conduct his own investigation. After seven or eight months in office he did finally come up with his own charges against Tiller. The best he could force himself to come up with was 19 lousy misdemeanor charges of having financial ties with the doctor Tiller had collaborated with.
Sorry Paul, but there’s another law on the books you’re not going to like. It took effect in 1970, and it allows the citizens of Kansas to demand the seating of a grand jury to investigate crimes when they’re not satisfied with the job our elected officials are doing. I don’t know exactly how it works. But it takes a certain percentage of registered voters to sign a petition to call for a grand jury. In the case of Segwick County the percentage they needed came out to 2,449 signatures. In the end they presented the county with 6,963 signatures, or almost three times more than were required. What’s that tell you about your job approval rating in Segwick County Paul?
The petition specifically states that District Attorney, Nola Foulston and anyone associated with her office should not be allowed to participate in the investigation because of her personal friendship with Tiller. Almost 7,000 citizens signed this petition. What’s that say about her job approval rating? Yeah, the law’s a funny thing.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Twenty Nine Years And Counting
How about those Chiefs! Last Sunday, like every Sunday during football season my family got together for the game. But man, to actually win one was way cool. I’m not going to get all sappy here today, but have you ever heard the song “From My Front Porch Looking In” by Lone Star? Well, I had one of those moments during the game.
I was making a Pepsi run, which means I was the only one not to lazy to go out to the back porch and open the cooler. On the way back inside, I stood by the back door for a while just watching. My grand daughter was chasing my grandson across the living room, he had jumped up on the couch, bounced a couple times, bounced back to the floor and took off running with my grand daughter right behind him. My brother was giving my wife a hard time. She was yelling at him to shut up. I watched my daughter throw a pillow at someone, I couldn’t tell who she was throwing it at, but it soon came back her way. My 22 year-old son, who hates football was rolling his eyes. My 17 year-old son was lying down on the living room floor just wishing everybody would shut up. I’m not sure what play I missed, but all the sudden, my daughter was yelling “hell yeah!” They were all hooping and hollering, then came the ritual high-five.
I was just standing there amazed at how my family has grown over the years and thinking how lucky I am to have them when my wife came out to the kitchen and nudged me back to the real world in her usual, subtle way. In her sweet, almost angelic voice, she said, get back in here you old fool, you look like a stalker. Yep, that’s my wife.
This Sunday, September, 30th we’ll have been married for 29 years. People often ask me how we’ve stayed married that long. Well, it hasn’t been easy, but I will let you in on what has worked for us. First, you have to make sure your wife understands that she’s just trying out for the job and that you haven‘t made your final decision yet. This will keep her on her toes. From the get-go, you need to make sure she understands that no matter what, you don’t do house work. She’ll thank you for that after a while. She needs to understand that because you’re a man, you have the right to go out drinking with the guys whenever you want and that you’ll come home whenever you want. She’s not to ask any questions. This is all for her own good as there’s no reason to upset her and eventually, she’ll thank you for being so considerate of her feelings.
Okay, maybe this isn’t exactly the way it works. Like all married couples, we’ve had our battles. I call them battles instead of arguments because it more accurately describes them. We’ve battled over everything under the sun. Money, the kids, the house, schools, the weather, you name it, we’ve fought about it. I’ve always envied couples who get in a fight and don’t talk to each other for a few days. I guess one of the reasons we stayed married is because my wife refuses to drop anything until it’s settled. That’s always driven me up the wall, but maybe that’s part of the reason we’re still together, I don’t know.
What I do know, is that we didn’t give up, I suppose mainly because she wouldn’t let me. I’ve learned that if given enough time, most of the things we used to fight about aren’t that important any more. It’s funny how time works, isn’t it?
I’d like to thank my wife for putting up with me all this time, and I’m looking forward to the next 29 years. Goodnight Linda, I love you.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
I was making a Pepsi run, which means I was the only one not to lazy to go out to the back porch and open the cooler. On the way back inside, I stood by the back door for a while just watching. My grand daughter was chasing my grandson across the living room, he had jumped up on the couch, bounced a couple times, bounced back to the floor and took off running with my grand daughter right behind him. My brother was giving my wife a hard time. She was yelling at him to shut up. I watched my daughter throw a pillow at someone, I couldn’t tell who she was throwing it at, but it soon came back her way. My 22 year-old son, who hates football was rolling his eyes. My 17 year-old son was lying down on the living room floor just wishing everybody would shut up. I’m not sure what play I missed, but all the sudden, my daughter was yelling “hell yeah!” They were all hooping and hollering, then came the ritual high-five.
I was just standing there amazed at how my family has grown over the years and thinking how lucky I am to have them when my wife came out to the kitchen and nudged me back to the real world in her usual, subtle way. In her sweet, almost angelic voice, she said, get back in here you old fool, you look like a stalker. Yep, that’s my wife.
This Sunday, September, 30th we’ll have been married for 29 years. People often ask me how we’ve stayed married that long. Well, it hasn’t been easy, but I will let you in on what has worked for us. First, you have to make sure your wife understands that she’s just trying out for the job and that you haven‘t made your final decision yet. This will keep her on her toes. From the get-go, you need to make sure she understands that no matter what, you don’t do house work. She’ll thank you for that after a while. She needs to understand that because you’re a man, you have the right to go out drinking with the guys whenever you want and that you’ll come home whenever you want. She’s not to ask any questions. This is all for her own good as there’s no reason to upset her and eventually, she’ll thank you for being so considerate of her feelings.
Okay, maybe this isn’t exactly the way it works. Like all married couples, we’ve had our battles. I call them battles instead of arguments because it more accurately describes them. We’ve battled over everything under the sun. Money, the kids, the house, schools, the weather, you name it, we’ve fought about it. I’ve always envied couples who get in a fight and don’t talk to each other for a few days. I guess one of the reasons we stayed married is because my wife refuses to drop anything until it’s settled. That’s always driven me up the wall, but maybe that’s part of the reason we’re still together, I don’t know.
What I do know, is that we didn’t give up, I suppose mainly because she wouldn’t let me. I’ve learned that if given enough time, most of the things we used to fight about aren’t that important any more. It’s funny how time works, isn’t it?
I’d like to thank my wife for putting up with me all this time, and I’m looking forward to the next 29 years. Goodnight Linda, I love you.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
What A Dad
Maybe you’re tired of me going on and on about child rapists, I don’t know. It’s not like there aren’t other things to write about. But you know, they just keep coming. According a story in Tuesday’s Capital-Journal. As an excuse for lying to detectives, Ricky J. Stovall, a Muslim, said that in keeping with his religion, he didn’t want to voice his shame by saying he had had sex with her. The “her” he was referring to is his daughter. Yeah, his daughter. What a dad.
Yeah Ricky, it really looks like your religion is first and foremost in your life. You started raping your little girl when she was 12 years-old and kept at it until she was 15. During those three years you managed to beat and rape her over 100 times and in the process you screwed up her life so bad that she’ll never be the same. You admit to having eight kids by six different women. Now you’ve been exposed as being the father of your own grandchild. Tell us Ricky, is this also keeping with your religion? Give me a break.
You’re trying to portray yourself as the victim here. You said in court that your daughter was the aggressor. You painted a picture of how you were constantly being sexually assaulted by your 12 year-old daughter. You claim you had to have another woman around to protect you from her advances. Sorry Ricky, but in my opinion, you’re nothing but a liar. Why don’t you quit being a coward and try being a man for a change. Stand up and take responsibility for your own sick actions.
No Ricky, you’re not alone in this sick, twisted lifestyle. Just a couple weeks ago we heard about another local man named Robert Longstaff, (Grandpa Bob.) Not only did he rape his daughter, starting when she was 11 years-old. Grandpa Bob, jumped the generation gap. He went on to rape his daughter’s daughters. That’s right, he raped his 7 and 8 year-old grand daughters. But grandpa Bob wasn’t satisfied with that. He also felt the need to rape his grand daughter’s first cousin, who was about the same age. Who the hell do you think you are Bob? And what in the hell makes someone like you tick? I just don’t get it.
You know, there are so many threats to our kids today, our daughters in particular. And the one person a daughter should always be able to turn to for help, no matter what, is her dad. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work. And if, for whatever reason, her dad isn’t available, she should always be able to turn to her grandpa if she has a problem.
I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of these people. I’m sick and tired of prosecutors accepting plea deals that allow a person like this to plead guilty to a lesser charge so they receive probation instead of serving the prison time they deserve. They can’t be rehabilitated. This is who they are. This isn’t someone who made a mistake. It’s a conscience decision they’ve made. And as we’ve seen in recent days, it’s a decision they make over and over again. They need to be put in prison where they’ll never have access to a child again, period.
In the coming months you’re going to hear so many politicians propose so many bills to help the children. Yeah, it’s good for votes. How about doing something real for a change. Pass mandatory, 40 or 50 year prison sentences for anyone convicted of raping a child.
So Ricky and Grandpa Bob, how does it feel to be exposed? Does it feel like your world has caved in on you? Good! After what you’ve done to your daughters and grand daughters you need to be publicly humiliated. And you need to be put in prison for the rest of your lives. You’ve crossed a line that should never be crossed, no matter what. You’ve destroyed your daughter’s and grand daughter’s lives. You’ve destroyed your families. Are you ashamed? Good, now you know how they feel.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Yeah Ricky, it really looks like your religion is first and foremost in your life. You started raping your little girl when she was 12 years-old and kept at it until she was 15. During those three years you managed to beat and rape her over 100 times and in the process you screwed up her life so bad that she’ll never be the same. You admit to having eight kids by six different women. Now you’ve been exposed as being the father of your own grandchild. Tell us Ricky, is this also keeping with your religion? Give me a break.
You’re trying to portray yourself as the victim here. You said in court that your daughter was the aggressor. You painted a picture of how you were constantly being sexually assaulted by your 12 year-old daughter. You claim you had to have another woman around to protect you from her advances. Sorry Ricky, but in my opinion, you’re nothing but a liar. Why don’t you quit being a coward and try being a man for a change. Stand up and take responsibility for your own sick actions.
No Ricky, you’re not alone in this sick, twisted lifestyle. Just a couple weeks ago we heard about another local man named Robert Longstaff, (Grandpa Bob.) Not only did he rape his daughter, starting when she was 11 years-old. Grandpa Bob, jumped the generation gap. He went on to rape his daughter’s daughters. That’s right, he raped his 7 and 8 year-old grand daughters. But grandpa Bob wasn’t satisfied with that. He also felt the need to rape his grand daughter’s first cousin, who was about the same age. Who the hell do you think you are Bob? And what in the hell makes someone like you tick? I just don’t get it.
You know, there are so many threats to our kids today, our daughters in particular. And the one person a daughter should always be able to turn to for help, no matter what, is her dad. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work. And if, for whatever reason, her dad isn’t available, she should always be able to turn to her grandpa if she has a problem.
I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of these people. I’m sick and tired of prosecutors accepting plea deals that allow a person like this to plead guilty to a lesser charge so they receive probation instead of serving the prison time they deserve. They can’t be rehabilitated. This is who they are. This isn’t someone who made a mistake. It’s a conscience decision they’ve made. And as we’ve seen in recent days, it’s a decision they make over and over again. They need to be put in prison where they’ll never have access to a child again, period.
In the coming months you’re going to hear so many politicians propose so many bills to help the children. Yeah, it’s good for votes. How about doing something real for a change. Pass mandatory, 40 or 50 year prison sentences for anyone convicted of raping a child.
So Ricky and Grandpa Bob, how does it feel to be exposed? Does it feel like your world has caved in on you? Good! After what you’ve done to your daughters and grand daughters you need to be publicly humiliated. And you need to be put in prison for the rest of your lives. You’ve crossed a line that should never be crossed, no matter what. You’ve destroyed your daughter’s and grand daughter’s lives. You’ve destroyed your families. Are you ashamed? Good, now you know how they feel.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Let's Do It Then
Hi Debbie, and thank you for posting. Debbie, do you remember the family reunions we used to have in Claflin wheb we were kids? Do you remember how much fun it was? At the time I didn't think much about it. But looking back, those might have been the best days of our lives.
Why don't we do it anymore? How about you and I spreading the word and try to put something together sometime next summer. Personally, I can't think of a better place for a reunion that Lone Duck Campground in Colorado. I could handle the reservations if there is an intrest from others in the family. What do you think?
Why don't we do it anymore? How about you and I spreading the word and try to put something together sometime next summer. Personally, I can't think of a better place for a reunion that Lone Duck Campground in Colorado. I could handle the reservations if there is an intrest from others in the family. What do you think?
Rocking Randall
Thank God for global warming. No, I haven’t lost my mind. Think about it. The global warming of the 20’s and 30’s led to the global cooling of the 70’s. This in turn led us to our current, world ending, global warming crisis. So, I’m thinking, this must be what led to the global cooling we’ve experienced this week. I just hope it happened soon enough to save those poor polar bears. Then maybe I can sleep at night.
I’m not sure if I’m supposed to use the word suck or not. But you know, August really sucked! And I don’t mean it sucked a little bit. I mean it sucked about as bad as anything can suck. It really sucks when it’s 92 degrees at 6:00 in the morning. It sucks even worse when it’s 102 at 6:00 that same evening. Yeah, I’m glad to see it end. Bring on the cooler weather! Bring on the Fall. I love to see the leaves turning colors, it’s a chance to watch mother nature at her finest. But wait a minute, then they fall to the ground and we have to pick the stupid things up. Man, that really, oh never mind, you know.
Hey, how about those Chiefs! As far as sports go, this is my time of year. I just love football season. I know, the pre-season wasn’t much to talk about. Hey, it’s just pre-season and doesn’t matter anyway. Right? Yeah I know, the first regular season game might have lacked a little something. Little things like blocking, running, throwing the ball, catching the ball, holding onto the ball, scoring points, you know, football stuff. Is it to soon in the season to remind everyone that this is a rebuilding year? Just wondering.
Win or lose, football Sunday at my house is always a good time. The kids and grandkids all come over. I have this huge Chiefs banner the kids got me a couple years ago. The first thing I do Sunday morning is hang it on the front of the house. Last week my wife had a huge roast with all the fixings ready. My son-in-law brought frozen pizzas, I fixed a plate of summer sausage, cheese and crackers, there were chips, dips, and salsa, the fridge is stocked to the brim with ice cold Pepsi. A few years ago for Christmas, I got a little Chiefs guy named “Rocking Randall.” You push the button and he does a dance and sings the theme song Hank Williams Jr. did for Monday Night Football. Randall sits front and center on top of the television. Every time the Chiefs score someone will hit the button. Yeah, Randall loves to shake his stuff. In recent years we’d go through two or three sets of batteries during the course of a season. It’s also become a ritual to call my mom after every touchdown.
My brother Aaron and his two kids, Little Aaron, and Lisa usually come over for the game. We’re all decked out in our Chiefs jerseys. Everybody except my wife. I guess her love for Colorado makes her think it’s okay to be a Broncos fan. Believe me when I say we’ve had more than a few heated debates about this. I’ve threatened to hit her in the mouth many times. And believe me when I say I’d follow through with it if it weren’t for the fact that I’m scared of her.
We hoop and holler, scream and yell. We celebrate when we score. We cuss when a call doesn’t go our way. I would like to see them score a few touchdowns though. Not for me or my family. Do it for Randall. He just loves to dance.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
I’m not sure if I’m supposed to use the word suck or not. But you know, August really sucked! And I don’t mean it sucked a little bit. I mean it sucked about as bad as anything can suck. It really sucks when it’s 92 degrees at 6:00 in the morning. It sucks even worse when it’s 102 at 6:00 that same evening. Yeah, I’m glad to see it end. Bring on the cooler weather! Bring on the Fall. I love to see the leaves turning colors, it’s a chance to watch mother nature at her finest. But wait a minute, then they fall to the ground and we have to pick the stupid things up. Man, that really, oh never mind, you know.
Hey, how about those Chiefs! As far as sports go, this is my time of year. I just love football season. I know, the pre-season wasn’t much to talk about. Hey, it’s just pre-season and doesn’t matter anyway. Right? Yeah I know, the first regular season game might have lacked a little something. Little things like blocking, running, throwing the ball, catching the ball, holding onto the ball, scoring points, you know, football stuff. Is it to soon in the season to remind everyone that this is a rebuilding year? Just wondering.
Win or lose, football Sunday at my house is always a good time. The kids and grandkids all come over. I have this huge Chiefs banner the kids got me a couple years ago. The first thing I do Sunday morning is hang it on the front of the house. Last week my wife had a huge roast with all the fixings ready. My son-in-law brought frozen pizzas, I fixed a plate of summer sausage, cheese and crackers, there were chips, dips, and salsa, the fridge is stocked to the brim with ice cold Pepsi. A few years ago for Christmas, I got a little Chiefs guy named “Rocking Randall.” You push the button and he does a dance and sings the theme song Hank Williams Jr. did for Monday Night Football. Randall sits front and center on top of the television. Every time the Chiefs score someone will hit the button. Yeah, Randall loves to shake his stuff. In recent years we’d go through two or three sets of batteries during the course of a season. It’s also become a ritual to call my mom after every touchdown.
My brother Aaron and his two kids, Little Aaron, and Lisa usually come over for the game. We’re all decked out in our Chiefs jerseys. Everybody except my wife. I guess her love for Colorado makes her think it’s okay to be a Broncos fan. Believe me when I say we’ve had more than a few heated debates about this. I’ve threatened to hit her in the mouth many times. And believe me when I say I’d follow through with it if it weren’t for the fact that I’m scared of her.
We hoop and holler, scream and yell. We celebrate when we score. We cuss when a call doesn’t go our way. I would like to see them score a few touchdowns though. Not for me or my family. Do it for Randall. He just loves to dance.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Remember It
I’ve avoided talking about the war in Iraq for all kinds of reasons. I guess mainly because, like everyone else. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of the bombings. I’m sick of the killing. I’m sick of listening to politicians say we should do this or do that. I’m sick of listening to these same politicians using the war for political gain. If you don’t believe that‘s what they‘re doing, you’re just not paying attention. Most of all, I’m sick of what it’s done to our country.
This coming Tuesday, (9-11-07) marks the 6th anniversary of the most horrific terrorist attacks our country or the world for that matter, has ever seen. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember exactly what I was doing the moment I heard about it. I also remember feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness, for I knew we were going to war. I just didn’t where.
The fact is, Islamic extremists have been at war with us ever since Jimmy Carter was President. Remember the Iranian hostage crisis? I know there are those who believe that because of our meddling in the affairs of other countries, we had this coming. Believe what you want.
Since those early days they’ve attacked us at will. Does anyone remember the first attack on the World Trade Center? How about the bombing of our embassies ? Maybe the attack on the USS. Cole, remember that? They’ve attacked buildings, trains, and subways in countries all around the globe. Their stated goal is to form an Islamic world. Anyone who won’t accept Islam is considered an Infidel and must die. They’ve bread millions of kids for the sole purpose of killing the Infidels. From almost the time they can walk, these kids are taught how and who to kill. They’re taught that it is their duty and it’s the only way for them to honor Allah. So no, I don’t believe they hate us for who we are or what we’ve done. They hate us for what we’re not. Followers of Islam.
Yeah, I’ve heard all the cries that Bush lied and kids died. They call it Bush’s war. The Democrats have just as much blood on their hands as Bush. They want to sweep their votes authorizing the war in the first place under the rug, and for the most part we’re allowing them to get away with it. I find this truly amazing.
Why Iraq? Why not? Everyone pretty much agrees that sooner or later we were going to have to fight Al-Queda. Iraq was already an enemy of the United States. And there’s no such place as Al-Quedastan. I believe this was just where Bush chose to fight them. Has everything gone our way? Of course not.
I have no solutions to offer. But in my opinion, pulling out before the Iraqi’s can handle their own security problems would be a disaster on so many levels. No, I don’t know when that will be. It might be six months or it might take another twenty years, who knows? I do firmly believe that if we were to quit, the consequences for our country and our way of life could be devastating.
Like everyone, I’ll be glad when Bush is finally out of office. I believe he’s betrayed us on the illegal immigration issue, but that’s another story for another time. People want to cry that he’s stubborn and won’t listen. He’s not listening to “we the people.” Maybe “we the people” are the one’s not listening.
So, if you get a chance and if you can put your unconditional hatred for Bush aside for just a few minutes Tuesday morning. Think about that day six years ago. Think about the horror the passengers aboard those planes went through. Think about the three thousand people that were murdered in the Twin Tower’s and the Pentagon. Think about how you felt. Think about being scared. Think about wanting revenge. This, my friends is why we’re at war. Remember it.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
This coming Tuesday, (9-11-07) marks the 6th anniversary of the most horrific terrorist attacks our country or the world for that matter, has ever seen. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember exactly what I was doing the moment I heard about it. I also remember feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness, for I knew we were going to war. I just didn’t where.
The fact is, Islamic extremists have been at war with us ever since Jimmy Carter was President. Remember the Iranian hostage crisis? I know there are those who believe that because of our meddling in the affairs of other countries, we had this coming. Believe what you want.
Since those early days they’ve attacked us at will. Does anyone remember the first attack on the World Trade Center? How about the bombing of our embassies ? Maybe the attack on the USS. Cole, remember that? They’ve attacked buildings, trains, and subways in countries all around the globe. Their stated goal is to form an Islamic world. Anyone who won’t accept Islam is considered an Infidel and must die. They’ve bread millions of kids for the sole purpose of killing the Infidels. From almost the time they can walk, these kids are taught how and who to kill. They’re taught that it is their duty and it’s the only way for them to honor Allah. So no, I don’t believe they hate us for who we are or what we’ve done. They hate us for what we’re not. Followers of Islam.
Yeah, I’ve heard all the cries that Bush lied and kids died. They call it Bush’s war. The Democrats have just as much blood on their hands as Bush. They want to sweep their votes authorizing the war in the first place under the rug, and for the most part we’re allowing them to get away with it. I find this truly amazing.
Why Iraq? Why not? Everyone pretty much agrees that sooner or later we were going to have to fight Al-Queda. Iraq was already an enemy of the United States. And there’s no such place as Al-Quedastan. I believe this was just where Bush chose to fight them. Has everything gone our way? Of course not.
I have no solutions to offer. But in my opinion, pulling out before the Iraqi’s can handle their own security problems would be a disaster on so many levels. No, I don’t know when that will be. It might be six months or it might take another twenty years, who knows? I do firmly believe that if we were to quit, the consequences for our country and our way of life could be devastating.
Like everyone, I’ll be glad when Bush is finally out of office. I believe he’s betrayed us on the illegal immigration issue, but that’s another story for another time. People want to cry that he’s stubborn and won’t listen. He’s not listening to “we the people.” Maybe “we the people” are the one’s not listening.
So, if you get a chance and if you can put your unconditional hatred for Bush aside for just a few minutes Tuesday morning. Think about that day six years ago. Think about the horror the passengers aboard those planes went through. Think about the three thousand people that were murdered in the Twin Tower’s and the Pentagon. Think about how you felt. Think about being scared. Think about wanting revenge. This, my friends is why we’re at war. Remember it.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Nacole Winter
Not to long ago I asked you to take a minute or two to think about a young girl named Kelsey Smith. I asked you to keep her family in your prayers. Kelsey was the young girl from Overland Park who was kidnapped from a Target store in Olathe. They found her body a few days later. She had been badly beaten, raped, and killed. Her body was then dumped in a wooded area just across the Missouri border like a piece of trash. Police charged a man named Edwin Hall a few days later with her murder.
Here we are again. Only this time, the young girl was one of our own. Late last year police found the body of 15- year- old Nacole Winter in a field just east of Lake Shawnee. Last week District Attorney, Robert Hecht announced he was charging 24-year-old Christopher Hall with first degree murder, indecent liberties with a child, and desecration of her body. Once again I’m asking you to keep Nacole’s family in your thoughts and prayers. Once this trial starts, they’re going to need all the strength they can muster.
Do you remember Megan Kanka? She was the 7-year-old girl from New Jersey that was raped and killed in 1994 by a man named Jesse Timmindqus. Her death prompted many states to pass what’s become known as Megan’s law. How about 9-year-old Jessica Lundsford? She was the girl that was kidnapped from her own bedroom while her parents slept. She was repeatedly beaten and raped by a neighbor named John Couey. Once he was finished with her, he stuffed her into a trash bag, then buried her alive. Police found her body in a shallow grave only 150 yards from her house.
Three out of the four girls I’ve mentioned were all raped and killed by a convicted child rapist that was allowed by our court system to go free. Right here in Shawnee County, we have a little more than 300 registered sex offenders. Out of these 300, all but about 50 have been convicted of sex crimes against children.
A few weeks ago I told you about an experience I had with one of these convicted child molesters at Gage Park. Remember that? I told you about going to the police with hopes of getting him away from the kids in the park. I also told you they said there was nothing they could do about it. I haven’t talked about it for awhile. That doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about it. I’ve been driving through Gage Park a couple of times a week just to see if he’s still hanging around. He’s been there every single time I’ve checked. He just sits there watching the kids.
How many more kids have to die before we finally get off our butts and do something about it? How many more of these perverts are the courts going to turn lose on society because they’re depressed or they had a rough childhood?
Attorney General, Paul Morrison has been busy strengthening our child predator laws. Now, anyone convicted the second or third time of sex crimes against a child will do serious prison time. How about this idea? The first time you’re convicted of a sex crime against a child, you do 40 years in prison without the possibility of probation or parole. You do it the second time, you get the death penalty.
Locally, there are a few things we can do. Councilwoman, Lana Kennedy has agreed to try to get a law passed that would make it illegal for anyone convicted of a sex crime against a child to be in any of our City Parks. Let’s take that a step further. Let’s put up an information board in all City Parks with the names, pictures, and addresses of the 300 plus people living in Shawnee County that are on the sex offenders list. This way people will have a better idea who to look out for when they take their kids to the park. This is already public information.
I guess it boils down to this. When are we, as a society going to stand up and say we’ve had enough? How much longer will we remain silent about it? It kills me to listen to the outrage over our taxes being raised. But let one our local kids be raped and brutally murdered and all we hear is silence.
To the family of Nacole Winter. I’m so sorry about what happened to Nacole. There’s no way in hell she deserved any of this.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Here we are again. Only this time, the young girl was one of our own. Late last year police found the body of 15- year- old Nacole Winter in a field just east of Lake Shawnee. Last week District Attorney, Robert Hecht announced he was charging 24-year-old Christopher Hall with first degree murder, indecent liberties with a child, and desecration of her body. Once again I’m asking you to keep Nacole’s family in your thoughts and prayers. Once this trial starts, they’re going to need all the strength they can muster.
Do you remember Megan Kanka? She was the 7-year-old girl from New Jersey that was raped and killed in 1994 by a man named Jesse Timmindqus. Her death prompted many states to pass what’s become known as Megan’s law. How about 9-year-old Jessica Lundsford? She was the girl that was kidnapped from her own bedroom while her parents slept. She was repeatedly beaten and raped by a neighbor named John Couey. Once he was finished with her, he stuffed her into a trash bag, then buried her alive. Police found her body in a shallow grave only 150 yards from her house.
Three out of the four girls I’ve mentioned were all raped and killed by a convicted child rapist that was allowed by our court system to go free. Right here in Shawnee County, we have a little more than 300 registered sex offenders. Out of these 300, all but about 50 have been convicted of sex crimes against children.
A few weeks ago I told you about an experience I had with one of these convicted child molesters at Gage Park. Remember that? I told you about going to the police with hopes of getting him away from the kids in the park. I also told you they said there was nothing they could do about it. I haven’t talked about it for awhile. That doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about it. I’ve been driving through Gage Park a couple of times a week just to see if he’s still hanging around. He’s been there every single time I’ve checked. He just sits there watching the kids.
How many more kids have to die before we finally get off our butts and do something about it? How many more of these perverts are the courts going to turn lose on society because they’re depressed or they had a rough childhood?
Attorney General, Paul Morrison has been busy strengthening our child predator laws. Now, anyone convicted the second or third time of sex crimes against a child will do serious prison time. How about this idea? The first time you’re convicted of a sex crime against a child, you do 40 years in prison without the possibility of probation or parole. You do it the second time, you get the death penalty.
Locally, there are a few things we can do. Councilwoman, Lana Kennedy has agreed to try to get a law passed that would make it illegal for anyone convicted of a sex crime against a child to be in any of our City Parks. Let’s take that a step further. Let’s put up an information board in all City Parks with the names, pictures, and addresses of the 300 plus people living in Shawnee County that are on the sex offenders list. This way people will have a better idea who to look out for when they take their kids to the park. This is already public information.
I guess it boils down to this. When are we, as a society going to stand up and say we’ve had enough? How much longer will we remain silent about it? It kills me to listen to the outrage over our taxes being raised. But let one our local kids be raped and brutally murdered and all we hear is silence.
To the family of Nacole Winter. I’m so sorry about what happened to Nacole. There’s no way in hell she deserved any of this.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Coward
Before we get started today I’d like to thank each and every one of you who voted for my column in the recent “Best of Topeka” contest. When you consider the huge advantage the Capital-Journal columnists have in circulation numbers compared to the Metro this was really cool. And needless to say, it made my day.
But it’s about a lot more than just me though. It’s about the Metro editor, Denise Hall, taking a chance on me in the first place. Other than a few letters to the editor, I had never done anything like this. She still doesn’t know quite what to think of me yet though. That’s okay. I’m still trying to figure her out too. It’s about the Metro News itself, and the people who read us. Yeah, we’re a small paper compared to the Capital-Journal, but I believe our readers tend to be more informed and more inclined to get involved. So yeah, it was a team effort by all of us. Thank you.
How about a good monster story today. I’ve heard tales of a monster that lives amongst us all. They say it has nine heads and that the nine heads hate each other and are constantly fighting over who’s in charge. With the heads constant fighting, the monster is always confused. He has no direction. They also say it’s always hungry and there’s no way for it to satisfy it’s appetite. When I first heard this story, I thought the person told me the monster lived on “axes.” Man, that part used to always scare me. What kind of a monster could possibly have nine heads and live on axes? When I realized it was “taxes” and not “axes” the monster lived on I was terrified. But hang on, there’s more to this horror story. The monster has a name. They call it the “Topeka City Council.” If you happen to be in the downtown area on a Tuesday night be careful. They say this is the night it eats.
Ah, I just made that stuff up. I was just taking a cheap shot at the council, and for the most part, I’ve avoided talking about this mess. I sat out the fight over the helicopter. I didn’t say anything during the fight over the budget. I also stayed out of the City-County fight over the hardware-software thing, mainly because it was all way over my head. I’ve avoided all this because I figured that sooner or later cooler heads would prevail. Maybe not.
Actually, I have a lot of respect for most of our council members. And for the most part I believe they’re all good people trying to do a job knowing that no matter what they do, it’s going to make someone else mad. It’s kind of like being married. No matter what you do, it’s wrong.
You know, I really thought that once we got past the budget process, the City Council could start moving this city forward. Chances of that happening went away last week when one of them gave copies of the recent City Manager’s evaluation to the hosts of a local talk show. You know the story.
I have a pretty good idea who’s responsible for this breach of trust that’s essential for this governing body to function, but I’ll just keep it to myself. It’s not so much what they did. It’s the cowardly way they did it. Personally, I thought the evaluation should have been made public in the first place. Obviously this person thought so too.
So here’s the deal. If you’re going to take a stand like this, at least have the guts to make yourself known. You had your chance to defend your actions. But you decided to take the cowards way out. For this you should, first identify yourself. Then you should resign. There’s no room on our City Council for someone we can’t trust.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
But it’s about a lot more than just me though. It’s about the Metro editor, Denise Hall, taking a chance on me in the first place. Other than a few letters to the editor, I had never done anything like this. She still doesn’t know quite what to think of me yet though. That’s okay. I’m still trying to figure her out too. It’s about the Metro News itself, and the people who read us. Yeah, we’re a small paper compared to the Capital-Journal, but I believe our readers tend to be more informed and more inclined to get involved. So yeah, it was a team effort by all of us. Thank you.
How about a good monster story today. I’ve heard tales of a monster that lives amongst us all. They say it has nine heads and that the nine heads hate each other and are constantly fighting over who’s in charge. With the heads constant fighting, the monster is always confused. He has no direction. They also say it’s always hungry and there’s no way for it to satisfy it’s appetite. When I first heard this story, I thought the person told me the monster lived on “axes.” Man, that part used to always scare me. What kind of a monster could possibly have nine heads and live on axes? When I realized it was “taxes” and not “axes” the monster lived on I was terrified. But hang on, there’s more to this horror story. The monster has a name. They call it the “Topeka City Council.” If you happen to be in the downtown area on a Tuesday night be careful. They say this is the night it eats.
Ah, I just made that stuff up. I was just taking a cheap shot at the council, and for the most part, I’ve avoided talking about this mess. I sat out the fight over the helicopter. I didn’t say anything during the fight over the budget. I also stayed out of the City-County fight over the hardware-software thing, mainly because it was all way over my head. I’ve avoided all this because I figured that sooner or later cooler heads would prevail. Maybe not.
Actually, I have a lot of respect for most of our council members. And for the most part I believe they’re all good people trying to do a job knowing that no matter what they do, it’s going to make someone else mad. It’s kind of like being married. No matter what you do, it’s wrong.
You know, I really thought that once we got past the budget process, the City Council could start moving this city forward. Chances of that happening went away last week when one of them gave copies of the recent City Manager’s evaluation to the hosts of a local talk show. You know the story.
I have a pretty good idea who’s responsible for this breach of trust that’s essential for this governing body to function, but I’ll just keep it to myself. It’s not so much what they did. It’s the cowardly way they did it. Personally, I thought the evaluation should have been made public in the first place. Obviously this person thought so too.
So here’s the deal. If you’re going to take a stand like this, at least have the guts to make yourself known. You had your chance to defend your actions. But you decided to take the cowards way out. For this you should, first identify yourself. Then you should resign. There’s no room on our City Council for someone we can’t trust.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Personal Responsibility
It’s reassuring to know our elected officials take the time to gather all the facts before casting their votes on issues that can directly affect all of us. Take freshmen Congresswoman, Nancy Boyda for instance. It’s good to know she already knows everything there is to know about the war in Iraq. Why else would she walk out in the middle of three star General John Keane’s Iraqi update? Surely she’s not playing politics with the war, she claims to be above such childish stunts. It’s probably just me, but it looked like a play straight out of the Pelosi, Reid handbook. Is it any wonder that congress’s approval rating is hovering around 19%. When you’re less popular than Bush, you’re in real trouble.
What exactly have the Democrats accomplished since regaining power? Oh yeah, endless investigations. Take the firings of the U.S. attorney’s for instance. Regardless of what you think of Bush, he was well within his legal rights to make such a move. The Democrats have acknowledged this. But they continue to harass everyone in this administration, hammering them with the same questions over and over again. Different Senators will ask them the exact same questions, only they’ll rephrase it in an attempt to trip them up. Once someone gives a little different version of something they said to someone else three or four years ago, they’re a liar. And lying to Congress is a crime. You’re going to prison. Think I’m exaggerating? Watch C-Span sometime.
You have to give them credit though. By raising the minimum wage they’ll end poverty in no time. That is, unless you happen to be one of the thousands that end losing their jobs because their employer had to make cuts in order to stay in business.
Who do you think the real winner here is? Let’s say you’re raising a family of four on $17,000 a year. Now what are you going to make, $20,000? And because of this, everything is going to go up. What have you gained? Nothing. So who wins here? The Government. The more you earn, the more taxes you pay. With your additional wages, the government will collect a little more of your weekly paycheck. A few more dollars might not seem like much, but multiply that by a few million paychecks and eventually you start talking real money. Everything they do revolves around taking more of our money. How about the universal healthcare talk going around? Do you really think the government can manage the healthcare of hundreds of millions of people? They want to make sure every child is covered. On the surface it sounds like an honorable thing, after all it’s for the “children.” They cry that it’s our responsibility to make sure all children are covered, and to do otherwise would be a disgrace.
You’re going to think I’m just a heartless old man here. But why is it my responsibility to make sure these kids are covered by healthcare? At what point is it the responsibility of the parents? They can’t afford health insurance because they work for minimum wage. In my view, this is a choice they’ve made themselves.
I read a letter to the editor a couple years ago that dealt with this exact topic. The writer said people live in poverty because they choose to. At the time I thought his comments were out of line. But you know what? He was right.
Of course you can’t raise a family on a minimum wage job. Everyone knows that. So why do people try? A lot of them can’t get a decent job because they dropped out of school or because they won’t put down the crack pipe long enough to pass a drug test. Why is this my problem?
Here’s the deal. There are decent jobs out there, but you have to get off the couch to find them. At some point people are going to have to stand up and take responsibility for themselves. This old guy is sick and tired of everyone having their hands in my wallet.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
What exactly have the Democrats accomplished since regaining power? Oh yeah, endless investigations. Take the firings of the U.S. attorney’s for instance. Regardless of what you think of Bush, he was well within his legal rights to make such a move. The Democrats have acknowledged this. But they continue to harass everyone in this administration, hammering them with the same questions over and over again. Different Senators will ask them the exact same questions, only they’ll rephrase it in an attempt to trip them up. Once someone gives a little different version of something they said to someone else three or four years ago, they’re a liar. And lying to Congress is a crime. You’re going to prison. Think I’m exaggerating? Watch C-Span sometime.
You have to give them credit though. By raising the minimum wage they’ll end poverty in no time. That is, unless you happen to be one of the thousands that end losing their jobs because their employer had to make cuts in order to stay in business.
Who do you think the real winner here is? Let’s say you’re raising a family of four on $17,000 a year. Now what are you going to make, $20,000? And because of this, everything is going to go up. What have you gained? Nothing. So who wins here? The Government. The more you earn, the more taxes you pay. With your additional wages, the government will collect a little more of your weekly paycheck. A few more dollars might not seem like much, but multiply that by a few million paychecks and eventually you start talking real money. Everything they do revolves around taking more of our money. How about the universal healthcare talk going around? Do you really think the government can manage the healthcare of hundreds of millions of people? They want to make sure every child is covered. On the surface it sounds like an honorable thing, after all it’s for the “children.” They cry that it’s our responsibility to make sure all children are covered, and to do otherwise would be a disgrace.
You’re going to think I’m just a heartless old man here. But why is it my responsibility to make sure these kids are covered by healthcare? At what point is it the responsibility of the parents? They can’t afford health insurance because they work for minimum wage. In my view, this is a choice they’ve made themselves.
I read a letter to the editor a couple years ago that dealt with this exact topic. The writer said people live in poverty because they choose to. At the time I thought his comments were out of line. But you know what? He was right.
Of course you can’t raise a family on a minimum wage job. Everyone knows that. So why do people try? A lot of them can’t get a decent job because they dropped out of school or because they won’t put down the crack pipe long enough to pass a drug test. Why is this my problem?
Here’s the deal. There are decent jobs out there, but you have to get off the couch to find them. At some point people are going to have to stand up and take responsibility for themselves. This old guy is sick and tired of everyone having their hands in my wallet.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Lone Duck Campground
Have I ever told you about “Lone Duck“ campground? It’s in Cadorado. That’s how my grandson used to pronounce Colorado. You see, we’ve taken a family vacation to Colorado every year for the last ten years now. When I say family, I mean a lot of people. My wife and I, our three kids, a son and daughter-in-law, and two grandkids. My son’s best friend, Fred hardly ever missed a year. There’s my nephews, Matt and Aaron. I can’t forget to mention my really cool, eight year old niece, Lisa. It took a caravan to get us all out there. I’ve always pulled the trailer. We’d borrow a car trailer from Fred’s dad and my son used it to haul the jeep and usually a four wheeler or a couple motorcycles with his truck. Everyone else rode in my daughter’s car. Trust me when I say, there isn’t a rest area or gas station in between here and there we don’t know on a personal level.
The reason we found Lone Duck in the first place is because of my brother Aaron’s inability to follow simple directions. Because he was living in Dodge City at the time we agreed to meet at the rest area just east of Wakeeney around noon. We waited about two hours and finally drove into town to call his wife. She said he’d left early that morning and should have been there hours ago. We drove back out to the rest area in case he showed up. Finally, around five o’clock we gave up. Just about the time we pulled back onto I-70 we spotted him coming from town looking for us. To make a long story short, he thought I meant the City Park in town. He’d been there since noon. What a dork.
Because of our five hour delay, we didn’t get to Colorado Springs until ten o’clock that night. The kids were fighting, I was tired and my nerves were shot. If you’ve ever taken a similar trip, you know what I mean. Anyway, we stayed on the hi-way through town and pulled into the first RV park we came to. It was a huge park, but it was more like a huge parking lot with this really big laundry-mat. I told my wife we’d just stay there for the night, and find a better place in the morning. She had this huge fit, saying she hadn’t made this hell trip to stay at some lousy laundry-mat. Fine, I told her. But we’re staying at the next place we come to. We headed west.
It was about eleven by the time we pulled into the Lone Duck Campground. I went into the office only to find out they were closed. But there was a note on the counter saying to pick any open site and come see us in the morning. I knew then they must be good people. The site we picked that night, campsite #72 became “our” campsite for the next ten years.
Oh the adventures we had. We got the tourist stuff done in the first couple years. For the most part we just explored the seemingly endless jeep trails around the Woodland Park area. You wouldn’t believe some of the places we’ve found. The best part of every day was getting back to camp, we always tried to get there before the evening thunder storms moved in. For the next few hours we’d roam the campground. The kids used to have these contests to see who could jump across the stream that runs through the place. Afterward they went to the pool. My wife and daughter, the biggest kids of all headed straight to the pin-ball machines. Their favorite games are “Fish Tales” and “Taxi,” they’d spend hours on them. The best was yet to come. The fire. We ended every night with a camp fire. We’d sit around it to talk about the adventures we’d had that day and where we were headed tomorrow. We poked fun at each other, we argued, cussed, and discussed it all. And so it went year after year.
I knew the day would come when the kids couldn’t make it. It seems that my daughter and daughter-in-law are both pregnant and are both due in November. Okay you two, I’ll let you use that excuse this time, but next year I don’t want to hear it.
My wife and I spent a couple days in the area last week. We stopped by Lone Duck to say hi and let them know we wouldn’t be making it this year. It was good to see them. But a little sad too. We did notice that our campsite, #72 was sitting there open like it they were waiting for us. Nice Touch Steve. Hopefully next year we’ll have a couple more grandkids to spoil.
If any of you are looking for a wonderful place to spend your family vacation, check out their website at http://www.loneduckcamp.com/ I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.com
The reason we found Lone Duck in the first place is because of my brother Aaron’s inability to follow simple directions. Because he was living in Dodge City at the time we agreed to meet at the rest area just east of Wakeeney around noon. We waited about two hours and finally drove into town to call his wife. She said he’d left early that morning and should have been there hours ago. We drove back out to the rest area in case he showed up. Finally, around five o’clock we gave up. Just about the time we pulled back onto I-70 we spotted him coming from town looking for us. To make a long story short, he thought I meant the City Park in town. He’d been there since noon. What a dork.
Because of our five hour delay, we didn’t get to Colorado Springs until ten o’clock that night. The kids were fighting, I was tired and my nerves were shot. If you’ve ever taken a similar trip, you know what I mean. Anyway, we stayed on the hi-way through town and pulled into the first RV park we came to. It was a huge park, but it was more like a huge parking lot with this really big laundry-mat. I told my wife we’d just stay there for the night, and find a better place in the morning. She had this huge fit, saying she hadn’t made this hell trip to stay at some lousy laundry-mat. Fine, I told her. But we’re staying at the next place we come to. We headed west.
It was about eleven by the time we pulled into the Lone Duck Campground. I went into the office only to find out they were closed. But there was a note on the counter saying to pick any open site and come see us in the morning. I knew then they must be good people. The site we picked that night, campsite #72 became “our” campsite for the next ten years.
Oh the adventures we had. We got the tourist stuff done in the first couple years. For the most part we just explored the seemingly endless jeep trails around the Woodland Park area. You wouldn’t believe some of the places we’ve found. The best part of every day was getting back to camp, we always tried to get there before the evening thunder storms moved in. For the next few hours we’d roam the campground. The kids used to have these contests to see who could jump across the stream that runs through the place. Afterward they went to the pool. My wife and daughter, the biggest kids of all headed straight to the pin-ball machines. Their favorite games are “Fish Tales” and “Taxi,” they’d spend hours on them. The best was yet to come. The fire. We ended every night with a camp fire. We’d sit around it to talk about the adventures we’d had that day and where we were headed tomorrow. We poked fun at each other, we argued, cussed, and discussed it all. And so it went year after year.
I knew the day would come when the kids couldn’t make it. It seems that my daughter and daughter-in-law are both pregnant and are both due in November. Okay you two, I’ll let you use that excuse this time, but next year I don’t want to hear it.
My wife and I spent a couple days in the area last week. We stopped by Lone Duck to say hi and let them know we wouldn’t be making it this year. It was good to see them. But a little sad too. We did notice that our campsite, #72 was sitting there open like it they were waiting for us. Nice Touch Steve. Hopefully next year we’ll have a couple more grandkids to spoil.
If any of you are looking for a wonderful place to spend your family vacation, check out their website at http://www.loneduckcamp.com/ I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.com
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Getting There
Cool, another brave soul . Mr. Ice, thank you. Just so everyone knows, Iceman is a friend of mine from work. He dresses funny but he's a good guy.
Why is it that no one else wants to talk about this? It's the same on our local talk radio show. Jim Cates has been pushing this issue for the last week. There have been a few scattered calls. But for the most part there is silence. I think the Ice Guy hit it on the head.
Just to let you know. Linda and I just got back from Colorado. We donated to Colorado's economy by spending two days in Cripple Creek. Tuesday on the way home we stopped by Lone Duck campground to say hi to our friends Steve and Lisa. They own the place. This is this first time in ten years we haven't hauled our trailer out there. It was so good to see them. I met a really cool guy in Manitou. We stopped by one of those places that sell the bears that are carved out of a lof with a chainsaw. He did the work himself. We had a good talk about vetrans and the war in Iraq. It's funny that we can be 525 miles from home and have the exact same conversation with someone I just met as I would have back home.
We stopped by Frank and Ruthie's Tuesday afternoon. Linda cracked me up on the way to their house. She wanted to stop by Burger King. After all these years, she still doesn't understand my family. I assured her Ruthie would feed us. Sure enough, within two minutes they had both emptied the fridge. They set up a virtual buffet of sandwich fixings, canalope, watermelon, steawberry Jello, and a pumpkin cake. How cool was that?
Both are looking good, but I think Ruthie is lonely. Give her a call if you get a chance.
Why is it that no one else wants to talk about this? It's the same on our local talk radio show. Jim Cates has been pushing this issue for the last week. There have been a few scattered calls. But for the most part there is silence. I think the Ice Guy hit it on the head.
Just to let you know. Linda and I just got back from Colorado. We donated to Colorado's economy by spending two days in Cripple Creek. Tuesday on the way home we stopped by Lone Duck campground to say hi to our friends Steve and Lisa. They own the place. This is this first time in ten years we haven't hauled our trailer out there. It was so good to see them. I met a really cool guy in Manitou. We stopped by one of those places that sell the bears that are carved out of a lof with a chainsaw. He did the work himself. We had a good talk about vetrans and the war in Iraq. It's funny that we can be 525 miles from home and have the exact same conversation with someone I just met as I would have back home.
We stopped by Frank and Ruthie's Tuesday afternoon. Linda cracked me up on the way to their house. She wanted to stop by Burger King. After all these years, she still doesn't understand my family. I assured her Ruthie would feed us. Sure enough, within two minutes they had both emptied the fridge. They set up a virtual buffet of sandwich fixings, canalope, watermelon, steawberry Jello, and a pumpkin cake. How cool was that?
Both are looking good, but I think Ruthie is lonely. Give her a call if you get a chance.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
The Fight Begins
I told you. Evidently we sent enough e-mails and made so many phone calls that Dillons caved under the pressure and realized they had no other choice but to rebuild in Greensburg. Personally, I know of about eight. Well, three were mine. But that still leaves five. Okay, they were from members of my family and I made them do it. Hey, you do what you have to. Ours were just eight out of thousands, probably jammed their systems for days. Yes, we did it!
Okay, maybe it didn’t happen exactly like that. The fact that Governor Sebelius, Sen. Brownback, Sen. Roberts, and Rep. Moran were in Greensburg praising Dillons for their recent decision to rebuild makes me think they might have been involved in the process all along. I’m sure there were plenty of incentives thrown their way. Hey, business is business, however it happened is okay with me.
A few weeks ago I talked about how as business’ grow they tend to forget where they came from. But Kroger Chairman, David B. Dillon proved me wrong by saying his company’s commitment and roots in Kansas run deep, and that they believe in Greensburg. Not much I can add to that, except to say thank you and to say David B. Dillon, You’re a good man.
Speaking of good people, we have several of them right here in Topeka. Councilwoman Lana Kennedy is one of them. I know, with everything that’s going on in city politics, from the budget, the helicopter thing, and the hardware-software fiasco, you’re probably mad at the whole city council right now. But for the time being, put all that aside. Remember they’re just people like you and I. I know for a fact I wouldn’t want their job. I have enough people mad at me as it is.
Last week I told you about the old guy in the red car. I told you about going to the police station to turn him in. I told you I was told they’d do what they could. Well, that’s not exactly how it went. What they really told me was there was nothing they could do. I couldn’t believe it. I asked the lady how in the world it was okay for a man who was on the KBI’s list of sex offenders and was convicted of sex crimes against a child to be running around lose in a park full of kids. That’s when she finally told me she’d send a car and they’d do what they could. I had a lot of questions and wanted some answers. I wanted to know what the policy is in a situation like this was. I wondered why we have to wait until some kid ends up missing before the police can do anything. I sent an e-mail to three of our city leaders. Lana Kennedy was the only one to respond. And respond she did! It seems Topeka has no laws concerning where these people can and can’t go. In fact she tried to get a law passed regarding where they could live last year. That was defeated by a 5-4 vote. She says she’s willing to give it another shot this year, only this time passing a law that if you’ve been convicted of sexually assaulting a child you can’t be in any of our city parks. The difference is that this year it’s a new council and all four yes votes are still there. That leaves five other councilmember’s. And she only needs one more yes vote. Lana, this old guy wishes you well in the battles that lie ahead. And thank you, you’re a good person.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Okay, maybe it didn’t happen exactly like that. The fact that Governor Sebelius, Sen. Brownback, Sen. Roberts, and Rep. Moran were in Greensburg praising Dillons for their recent decision to rebuild makes me think they might have been involved in the process all along. I’m sure there were plenty of incentives thrown their way. Hey, business is business, however it happened is okay with me.
A few weeks ago I talked about how as business’ grow they tend to forget where they came from. But Kroger Chairman, David B. Dillon proved me wrong by saying his company’s commitment and roots in Kansas run deep, and that they believe in Greensburg. Not much I can add to that, except to say thank you and to say David B. Dillon, You’re a good man.
Speaking of good people, we have several of them right here in Topeka. Councilwoman Lana Kennedy is one of them. I know, with everything that’s going on in city politics, from the budget, the helicopter thing, and the hardware-software fiasco, you’re probably mad at the whole city council right now. But for the time being, put all that aside. Remember they’re just people like you and I. I know for a fact I wouldn’t want their job. I have enough people mad at me as it is.
Last week I told you about the old guy in the red car. I told you about going to the police station to turn him in. I told you I was told they’d do what they could. Well, that’s not exactly how it went. What they really told me was there was nothing they could do. I couldn’t believe it. I asked the lady how in the world it was okay for a man who was on the KBI’s list of sex offenders and was convicted of sex crimes against a child to be running around lose in a park full of kids. That’s when she finally told me she’d send a car and they’d do what they could. I had a lot of questions and wanted some answers. I wanted to know what the policy is in a situation like this was. I wondered why we have to wait until some kid ends up missing before the police can do anything. I sent an e-mail to three of our city leaders. Lana Kennedy was the only one to respond. And respond she did! It seems Topeka has no laws concerning where these people can and can’t go. In fact she tried to get a law passed regarding where they could live last year. That was defeated by a 5-4 vote. She says she’s willing to give it another shot this year, only this time passing a law that if you’ve been convicted of sexually assaulting a child you can’t be in any of our city parks. The difference is that this year it’s a new council and all four yes votes are still there. That leaves five other councilmember’s. And she only needs one more yes vote. Lana, this old guy wishes you well in the battles that lie ahead. And thank you, you’re a good person.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Friday, July 27, 2007
Thank You Debbie.
Thank for the encouraging thoughts Debbie. And thank you for signing up and posting. I was wondering if anyone ever would. I think it would be a good way for all of us to keep in touch. I've noticed my profile has about 80 hits. Someone's reading it. Jump in, don't be afraid.
Quick update. I've been working with one of our City Councilwomen this week. We're going to be guests on one our local talk shows, The Jim Cates Show AM 1440 sometime in the next couple of weeks or so. She going to announce that she's sponsering a bill making it illegal for anyone convicted of sex crimes against a child to be in our public parks. Sounds simple enough. I've done a lot of reading about this. She's a tough woman, I just hope she can pull this off. You can bet it's going to be one hell of a fight though.
It's kinda cool to think that because of one of my columns, the Topeka City Council is fighting over this at all. At least they know me. Maybe one of the days I can make a few extra bucks doing this.
Hope all is well with each of you and yours. Till next time.
Quick update. I've been working with one of our City Councilwomen this week. We're going to be guests on one our local talk shows, The Jim Cates Show AM 1440 sometime in the next couple of weeks or so. She going to announce that she's sponsering a bill making it illegal for anyone convicted of sex crimes against a child to be in our public parks. Sounds simple enough. I've done a lot of reading about this. She's a tough woman, I just hope she can pull this off. You can bet it's going to be one hell of a fight though.
It's kinda cool to think that because of one of my columns, the Topeka City Council is fighting over this at all. At least they know me. Maybe one of the days I can make a few extra bucks doing this.
Hope all is well with each of you and yours. Till next time.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Gage Park
Think Gage Park is a safe place to take your kids? Think again! I’m going to share a story with you today. It’s a story about what led me to check out the KBI’s Registered Sex Offenders list. It’s about how I learned that there are 307 registered sex offenders in Shawnee County. And that 284 are right here in Topeka. It’s a story about how last Thursday, events unfolded that led me directly into the path of one of them.
Last Thursday I was traveling east on 10th street listening to Jim Cates as usual. He had Senator Anthony Hensley as a guest. I wanted to talk to the Senator and it just so happened that I was going by Gage Park at the time and decided to pull in to make my phone call. I found a shady spot and pulled over. While I was on the phone a guy in a older, faded red car drove by and waved. About the time I finished my call he pulled up beside me, got out and started asking about my jeep. I was wearing shorts, he complimented me on my tan and asked if he could see how far up my tan line went. I suggested to him it would probably be best if he left me alone.
Before I go any further. I want to be clear this isn’t a gay bashing thing. If you want to be gay, go be gay, I don’t care. It’s none of my business. It’s way more than that. It’s about seeing him again parked on the street just to the east of the train station. There were easily a couple hundred kids there that day. He was just sitting there watching them. The man was trolling the park in search of sex. Now he’s fifty feet from hundreds of kids. This my friends, is a sexual predator.
That night I checked out the KBI’s list of sex offenders. There he was. He’d been convicted in 2001 of Indecent liberties with a child under fourteen. His picture was six years old so he does look older now. According to the birth date he’s 65 years old. That’s exactly how old I thought he might have been. I knew I couldn’t call the police unless I could prove who he was. Saturday I decided I needed his tag number. I had a hunch I’d find him in Gage Park. Sure enough, there’s a shelter house just across the street to the east of the train station. He was in the parking lot behind it. The parking lot has only one way in and one way out. Sneaking up on him was out of the question. So I just pulled in behind him and stopped. He immediately got out his car, shoved his hand down his pants and started rubbing his penis. He was a completely different person this time. I told him there was no reason to get out but he was coming anyway. I got a good look at his tag and left him standing there with his hand still in his pants. I went straight to the Police Station and turned him in. I gave them a description of him, his car, and gave them his tag number. I was told they’d do what they could.
Because I can’t prove the man I saw on the sex offenders list is the same one I’m telling you about, I won’t use his name. However I can tell you what he looked like and what he drives. He looks to be about 65 years old. He stands about 5’-8” and weighs about 125lbs. He was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jean shorts, he’s bald, and has very hairy ears. He was driving a small, faded red, hatchback kind of car. It was something like an old Chevette or something similar with a Shawnee County license plate. If you see him, all I’m asking you to do is keep an eye on him. But if you see him doing anything out of line call the Police, call 911. Based on how aggressive he was during our second encounter, I believe he’s dangerous, don’t approach him. And whatever you do, keep an eye on your kids. Don’t let them out of your sight.
We were outraged over Judge Dowd giving Orlando Cisneros probation in a recent, well publicized, child rape case. We only heard about it because the young girl’s father went public. What we didn’t know is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is a discussion we need to have. Why do the courts seem so hell bent on turning these people lose on us.
There are those who’ll cry about them having their right to privacy and all that. Here’s what I believe. I believe I have the right to pull over in a park to make a phone call without being sexually assaulted. More than anything I believe our children have the right to live without the fear of being abducted by one of these sick people. And I believe first and foremost that old guy in the faded, red car needs to understand that now he’s the one being watched!
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Last Thursday I was traveling east on 10th street listening to Jim Cates as usual. He had Senator Anthony Hensley as a guest. I wanted to talk to the Senator and it just so happened that I was going by Gage Park at the time and decided to pull in to make my phone call. I found a shady spot and pulled over. While I was on the phone a guy in a older, faded red car drove by and waved. About the time I finished my call he pulled up beside me, got out and started asking about my jeep. I was wearing shorts, he complimented me on my tan and asked if he could see how far up my tan line went. I suggested to him it would probably be best if he left me alone.
Before I go any further. I want to be clear this isn’t a gay bashing thing. If you want to be gay, go be gay, I don’t care. It’s none of my business. It’s way more than that. It’s about seeing him again parked on the street just to the east of the train station. There were easily a couple hundred kids there that day. He was just sitting there watching them. The man was trolling the park in search of sex. Now he’s fifty feet from hundreds of kids. This my friends, is a sexual predator.
That night I checked out the KBI’s list of sex offenders. There he was. He’d been convicted in 2001 of Indecent liberties with a child under fourteen. His picture was six years old so he does look older now. According to the birth date he’s 65 years old. That’s exactly how old I thought he might have been. I knew I couldn’t call the police unless I could prove who he was. Saturday I decided I needed his tag number. I had a hunch I’d find him in Gage Park. Sure enough, there’s a shelter house just across the street to the east of the train station. He was in the parking lot behind it. The parking lot has only one way in and one way out. Sneaking up on him was out of the question. So I just pulled in behind him and stopped. He immediately got out his car, shoved his hand down his pants and started rubbing his penis. He was a completely different person this time. I told him there was no reason to get out but he was coming anyway. I got a good look at his tag and left him standing there with his hand still in his pants. I went straight to the Police Station and turned him in. I gave them a description of him, his car, and gave them his tag number. I was told they’d do what they could.
Because I can’t prove the man I saw on the sex offenders list is the same one I’m telling you about, I won’t use his name. However I can tell you what he looked like and what he drives. He looks to be about 65 years old. He stands about 5’-8” and weighs about 125lbs. He was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jean shorts, he’s bald, and has very hairy ears. He was driving a small, faded red, hatchback kind of car. It was something like an old Chevette or something similar with a Shawnee County license plate. If you see him, all I’m asking you to do is keep an eye on him. But if you see him doing anything out of line call the Police, call 911. Based on how aggressive he was during our second encounter, I believe he’s dangerous, don’t approach him. And whatever you do, keep an eye on your kids. Don’t let them out of your sight.
We were outraged over Judge Dowd giving Orlando Cisneros probation in a recent, well publicized, child rape case. We only heard about it because the young girl’s father went public. What we didn’t know is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is a discussion we need to have. Why do the courts seem so hell bent on turning these people lose on us.
There are those who’ll cry about them having their right to privacy and all that. Here’s what I believe. I believe I have the right to pull over in a park to make a phone call without being sexually assaulted. More than anything I believe our children have the right to live without the fear of being abducted by one of these sick people. And I believe first and foremost that old guy in the faded, red car needs to understand that now he’s the one being watched!
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Capper Foundation
For as long as I can remember, I’ve poked fun at all the “It’s for the children” speeches we hear from politicians around election time. Well last Wednesday I had the honor of meeting two wonderful ladies named Pam Walstrom and Julie Smrha. They help run a facility that truly is for the children. And it’s for the children every day, every week, of every year. Not just around election time. It’s a facility whose mission is to enhance the independence of people with disabilities, primarily children. I’m talking about a facility named The Capper Foundation.
The Capper Foundation is a result of one man’s life-long commitment to helping children. His name was Arthur Capper. Some of you might have heard of him, he was a two term Governor (1914-1919) and five term Senator (1919-1949) of Kansas. Before he ever held public office he was a successful businessman here in Topeka. He owned Newspapers, a Publishing Company and two radio stations. Starting in 1908 he sponsored what would become an annual summer celebration around the 4th of July for disadvantaged, area kids. This annual celebration lasted until 1951 when the flood forced it’s cancellation. In the meantime Capper, along with other local businessmen would send a car load of candy and toys out to disadvantaged kids on Christmas morning. A man named Con Van Natta who was the foreman of Capper’s Publishing Company was in charge of distributing the toys, he would report back to Capper and the others about how it went. They were always looking for ways to make the children’s Christmas mornings a little better. This went on for several years until 1920, Con made his Christmas deliveries as usual. Like always Con reported back to Capper. But this year he told the Senator a story of how in the race to see what Santa had brought, because of the cumbersome crutches and wheelchairs the crippled kids were always outdistanced by other youngsters and weren’t able to get to the best toys. He also reported that many of the crippled children seemed to be getting worse. Most of the parents couldn’t afford to get them the help they so desperately needed.
This was a turning point for Arthur Capper. He likened the race for Santa with the race for life. He knew they needed more than candy and toys on Christmas morning. He knew they needed doctors, nurses, and in some cases they needed surgeons. He turned to his trusted friend, Con, and told him he was supremely qualified to make this happen. He instructed Con to stop by his business manager to get whatever money he thought it would take and start the process tonight.
That Christmas night, eighty seven years ago the Capper Foundation was set into motion. Today the Capper Foundation helps up to 2,000 children per year. Because of the advances in medical technology they can offer services Arthur Capper could never have imagined. They offer services such as Pediatric Therapy, Communications Services, Therapeutic Recreation services, Aquatic Exercises, and Autism Disorder Services.
But now they need some help. They need my help and they need your help. All these services come at a cost. If you could find it in your heart to reach out, write a check for whatever amount you feel comfortable with you could help make a difference in a child’s life. You can visit their website at www.capper.easterseals.com to find out more about them or if you’d like, you can call either Pam or Julie at (785-272-4060.) They’d be delighted to hear from you.
There’s nothing more important than taking care of our children. Arthur Capper understood this and I believe he’d be pleased to see what his Foundation has become.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
The Capper Foundation is a result of one man’s life-long commitment to helping children. His name was Arthur Capper. Some of you might have heard of him, he was a two term Governor (1914-1919) and five term Senator (1919-1949) of Kansas. Before he ever held public office he was a successful businessman here in Topeka. He owned Newspapers, a Publishing Company and two radio stations. Starting in 1908 he sponsored what would become an annual summer celebration around the 4th of July for disadvantaged, area kids. This annual celebration lasted until 1951 when the flood forced it’s cancellation. In the meantime Capper, along with other local businessmen would send a car load of candy and toys out to disadvantaged kids on Christmas morning. A man named Con Van Natta who was the foreman of Capper’s Publishing Company was in charge of distributing the toys, he would report back to Capper and the others about how it went. They were always looking for ways to make the children’s Christmas mornings a little better. This went on for several years until 1920, Con made his Christmas deliveries as usual. Like always Con reported back to Capper. But this year he told the Senator a story of how in the race to see what Santa had brought, because of the cumbersome crutches and wheelchairs the crippled kids were always outdistanced by other youngsters and weren’t able to get to the best toys. He also reported that many of the crippled children seemed to be getting worse. Most of the parents couldn’t afford to get them the help they so desperately needed.
This was a turning point for Arthur Capper. He likened the race for Santa with the race for life. He knew they needed more than candy and toys on Christmas morning. He knew they needed doctors, nurses, and in some cases they needed surgeons. He turned to his trusted friend, Con, and told him he was supremely qualified to make this happen. He instructed Con to stop by his business manager to get whatever money he thought it would take and start the process tonight.
That Christmas night, eighty seven years ago the Capper Foundation was set into motion. Today the Capper Foundation helps up to 2,000 children per year. Because of the advances in medical technology they can offer services Arthur Capper could never have imagined. They offer services such as Pediatric Therapy, Communications Services, Therapeutic Recreation services, Aquatic Exercises, and Autism Disorder Services.
But now they need some help. They need my help and they need your help. All these services come at a cost. If you could find it in your heart to reach out, write a check for whatever amount you feel comfortable with you could help make a difference in a child’s life. You can visit their website at www.capper.easterseals.com to find out more about them or if you’d like, you can call either Pam or Julie at (785-272-4060.) They’d be delighted to hear from you.
There’s nothing more important than taking care of our children. Arthur Capper understood this and I believe he’d be pleased to see what his Foundation has become.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Move On
I suppose it’s time to let it go. I had planned this long, point, counter point argument of why Greensburg should be put back the way it was. But after thinking it over I’ve realized the Greensburg I knew is gone. No matter what they do I’m not going to like it. Just a couple things though. I still hope Dillons does the right thing and rebuilds their store. And I hope the government decision makers look up from their notes and statistics long enough to remember they’re dealing with people’s lives. One last thing. They’re really pushing for ZEH (Zero Energy Homes.) Basically, the homes are designed, and built to produce more energy than they use. Pretty cool way to beat the electric company. They’re built to be more or less airtight and in order for a ZEH home to reach it’s full potential it needs to be built on a concrete slab. Not exactly a strong selling point in Greensburg these days. Good luck with that.
Today I’m proud to call Topeka home. I’ve lived here for the last seventeen years now and I can’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else. I’ve pretty much finished raising my family. They all live here and aren’t going anywhere, mainly because I won’t allow it. Hey, it’s worked so far.
Topeka’s home because it feels like it. It’s a feeling of belonging. Know what I mean? Almost every time I’m out I’ll run into someone I know. It’s knowing I can turn on the radio any weekday and hear Steve Forman or Jim Cates. I’ve had the privilege of meeting several of their callers in person. I went to a meeting last Saturday with two of them. Paul Degener and Myron Holter. Paul is the President of an organization called C.F.I.R. (Citizens For Immigration Reform.) Myron is the Secretary. They’re both retired military guys who are very unhappy with the way our country’s headed. Instead of sitting in their rocking chairs like they’re supposed to, they’re doing something about it. They conned me into helping them run the C.F.I.R. booth they’re setting up this Saturday and Sunday during the Gun Show at the Expo Centre. Stop by and say hi if you can.
Things like having lunch every Friday with Steve, Randy, and the guys at the “Eagle’s Nest,” make Topeka feel like home. The “Eagles Nest” is a sandwich shop at the Harley Davidson Dealership. Marsha and the girls do a wonderful job. Like in the old days, minus the adult beverages, we have the answers to all the world’s problems. If people would just listen to us the country would be in a lot better shape.
Do you know any Harley people? There’s a bond there. Don’t believe me? Just have lunch at the Harley shop. They all talk Harley. Ever seen two Harley riders meet on the road? There’s that Harley wave, they both lower their left hand and just keep going. They know.
Instead of getting a Harley for my mid-life crisis, I bought a Jeep. We have our own little club too. Just watch, anytime two Jeeps meet anywhere, we give each other a two finger wave. “It’s A Jeep Thing, You Wouldn’t Understand.” Yeah, it’s nice to feel like you belong to something.
Yeah, we have our problems in Topeka but it’s home and I love it. Oh yeah, apparently I’ve joined another exclusive club that prompts the use of hand signals. I was driving down the street the other day when two young girls flipped me off as they sped by. Looks like I’ve joined the “old men that drive to slow club.” Hey, you can’t win them all.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Today I’m proud to call Topeka home. I’ve lived here for the last seventeen years now and I can’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else. I’ve pretty much finished raising my family. They all live here and aren’t going anywhere, mainly because I won’t allow it. Hey, it’s worked so far.
Topeka’s home because it feels like it. It’s a feeling of belonging. Know what I mean? Almost every time I’m out I’ll run into someone I know. It’s knowing I can turn on the radio any weekday and hear Steve Forman or Jim Cates. I’ve had the privilege of meeting several of their callers in person. I went to a meeting last Saturday with two of them. Paul Degener and Myron Holter. Paul is the President of an organization called C.F.I.R. (Citizens For Immigration Reform.) Myron is the Secretary. They’re both retired military guys who are very unhappy with the way our country’s headed. Instead of sitting in their rocking chairs like they’re supposed to, they’re doing something about it. They conned me into helping them run the C.F.I.R. booth they’re setting up this Saturday and Sunday during the Gun Show at the Expo Centre. Stop by and say hi if you can.
Things like having lunch every Friday with Steve, Randy, and the guys at the “Eagle’s Nest,” make Topeka feel like home. The “Eagles Nest” is a sandwich shop at the Harley Davidson Dealership. Marsha and the girls do a wonderful job. Like in the old days, minus the adult beverages, we have the answers to all the world’s problems. If people would just listen to us the country would be in a lot better shape.
Do you know any Harley people? There’s a bond there. Don’t believe me? Just have lunch at the Harley shop. They all talk Harley. Ever seen two Harley riders meet on the road? There’s that Harley wave, they both lower their left hand and just keep going. They know.
Instead of getting a Harley for my mid-life crisis, I bought a Jeep. We have our own little club too. Just watch, anytime two Jeeps meet anywhere, we give each other a two finger wave. “It’s A Jeep Thing, You Wouldn’t Understand.” Yeah, it’s nice to feel like you belong to something.
Yeah, we have our problems in Topeka but it’s home and I love it. Oh yeah, apparently I’ve joined another exclusive club that prompts the use of hand signals. I was driving down the street the other day when two young girls flipped me off as they sped by. Looks like I’ve joined the “old men that drive to slow club.” Hey, you can’t win them all.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Can't Go Home
A few weeks ago I told you about living in Greensburg. I talked about the regrets I had about not going back to visit before the tornado. I told you I’d still make the trip, only this time it would be to find out about old friends and to say goodbye to others. Last Wednesday I made that trip.
Like everyone, I’d seen the pictures of the destruction. No picture I saw even came close to what it was actually like. It looked more like they were hit by an atomic bomb. From the corner of Hi-way 54 and Main St. looking to the north, south and straight ahead to the west everything was gone. There were random houses here and there still standing, I even saw a trailer house that was barely touched, it still had the skirting around the bottom. Just two blocks west of Main is the Kwik Shop and it’s open for business. How cool is that? Like any small town, Main Street used to have buildings all the way up and down both sides. Today there are only two or three and they’re destroyed. On the east side of town, my favorite restaurant “The Kansan” was destroyed. They still had a sense of humor though, On the inside wall that is now outside was a sign that said “Outside Seating Now Available.” The booths were still there. I just had to sit down, the waitress station was still intact. I still remember my daughter got a kick out of getting her own rolls from the warmer. It’s still there. The swimming pool park across the hi-way was pretty much untouched. It broke my heart to see the Dillons store. Right down the street was my favorite bar ever. They call it the B&H Saloon nowadays, but it’ll always be Larry’s Place to me. Oh, the stories I could tell you about that place. All I can say is that they never proved anything. “Just kidding.” Anyway it was still standing. Almost every Saturday night after Larry’s closed a bunch of us would either end up in Belvidere or out at the State Lake just north west of town. We hung out at the dock on the west side of the lake. We’d build a fire, drink a few adult beverages, and proceed to solve all the world’s problems. I was so glad to see that old dock still standing.
It broke my heart to stand in front of what used to be the Big Well Park. The only thing left is the well itself. It’s wrapped in a blue tarp and is fenced off. We used to rent a house right across the street. It‘s gone. Eventually we bought a house on the east side of town in the eighties. Nothing special, just an old two story house. But it was home and we loved it. It was standing tall.
The hospital is destroyed, the schools and churches are all gone. At the south end of main street on the outskirts of town they’ve moved in about three hundred FEMA trailers. The National guard has set up shop on the football field, there’s a Red-Cross field hospital where Burkes Restaurant used to sit. The Salvation Army has set up camp in Dillons parking lot. There are Government agencies everywhere. Everywhere you look there are people with clip boards feverishly taking notes. These are some of vast numbers of people with their own ideas about how the new Greensburg should look. Next week I’ll probably talk about some of their ideas and maybe throw in a couple of my own. But you can’t go by anything I say, I’m just an old guy. Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Like everyone, I’d seen the pictures of the destruction. No picture I saw even came close to what it was actually like. It looked more like they were hit by an atomic bomb. From the corner of Hi-way 54 and Main St. looking to the north, south and straight ahead to the west everything was gone. There were random houses here and there still standing, I even saw a trailer house that was barely touched, it still had the skirting around the bottom. Just two blocks west of Main is the Kwik Shop and it’s open for business. How cool is that? Like any small town, Main Street used to have buildings all the way up and down both sides. Today there are only two or three and they’re destroyed. On the east side of town, my favorite restaurant “The Kansan” was destroyed. They still had a sense of humor though, On the inside wall that is now outside was a sign that said “Outside Seating Now Available.” The booths were still there. I just had to sit down, the waitress station was still intact. I still remember my daughter got a kick out of getting her own rolls from the warmer. It’s still there. The swimming pool park across the hi-way was pretty much untouched. It broke my heart to see the Dillons store. Right down the street was my favorite bar ever. They call it the B&H Saloon nowadays, but it’ll always be Larry’s Place to me. Oh, the stories I could tell you about that place. All I can say is that they never proved anything. “Just kidding.” Anyway it was still standing. Almost every Saturday night after Larry’s closed a bunch of us would either end up in Belvidere or out at the State Lake just north west of town. We hung out at the dock on the west side of the lake. We’d build a fire, drink a few adult beverages, and proceed to solve all the world’s problems. I was so glad to see that old dock still standing.
It broke my heart to stand in front of what used to be the Big Well Park. The only thing left is the well itself. It’s wrapped in a blue tarp and is fenced off. We used to rent a house right across the street. It‘s gone. Eventually we bought a house on the east side of town in the eighties. Nothing special, just an old two story house. But it was home and we loved it. It was standing tall.
The hospital is destroyed, the schools and churches are all gone. At the south end of main street on the outskirts of town they’ve moved in about three hundred FEMA trailers. The National guard has set up shop on the football field, there’s a Red-Cross field hospital where Burkes Restaurant used to sit. The Salvation Army has set up camp in Dillons parking lot. There are Government agencies everywhere. Everywhere you look there are people with clip boards feverishly taking notes. These are some of vast numbers of people with their own ideas about how the new Greensburg should look. Next week I’ll probably talk about some of their ideas and maybe throw in a couple of my own. But you can’t go by anything I say, I’m just an old guy. Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Monday, July 2, 2007
Bo
Please don’t be sad mommy, it’ll be okay. Whatever it is, we can get through it together. Hey, we’re going to see the doctor tomorrow. That‘s always fun. I love the sonograms because it shows us how big I’m getting. Last time we were there I heard the doctor say I was a perfectly formed little boy. He said I had all my fingers and toes. That’s good news, isn’t it? I heard him saying something about time was running out to decide. I’ll bet he was talking about it being time to name me. You haven’t mentioned anything about it so I’m thinking maybe you haven’t made up your mind yet. I’ve got a couple suggestions. How about John Wayne? That would be cool mommy. It would come in handy when you buy me my first pair of cowboy boots. Maybe Einstein. I might not be as smart as him but I bet I‘m pretty close mommy. Maybe Superman or Scooby Do. Hey, I know. How about naming me Bo. I like that name.
I heard a man talking about this being a bad time. What did he mean, mommy? This is going to be a great time. You’ll see. I can‘t wait till you can hold me for the first time. And the first time our eyes meet is going to be something special, I promise. You’re going to love the way I run to you for comfort. There’s no safer place than in your mother’s arms. I’m going to need a lot of help learning to walk. They tell me it’s pretty hard. With your help I’ll be just fine, you’ll see.
It’s going to break my heart when I have to go to kindergarten. But that’s the only way I can learn to read. I can’t wait to read you a bedtime story for a change mommy. Will you teach me how to play baseball? I heard it was fun. Will we go to Gage Park? Teach me about the monkeys mommy. I think they’re funny. How about my first bike, will you help me learn how to ride it mommy? I think I’d like to play the guitar. Can you teach me how. I hope you name me Bo. I really think it’s a cool name. Mommy and Bo. We’ll make a great team, you’ll see.
Mommy, I heard that man talking about time being up. Didn’t you tell him we’d decided to name me Bo? Tell him mommy. I don’t like him mommy, he makes you cry. When I get big I‘ll never make you sad mommy, I promise. You’ll see.
Mommy, I heard you and that man talking about a new doctor. Is that why you’re sad? Are you afraid? Don’t be. We’ll get through this together. You’ll see. I promise to behave myself if that’s what you’re worried about. I want to make a good impression on our new doctor too. Mommy, I’m getting sleepy. Don’t worry, I won’t forget to say my prayers.
Now I lay me, down to sleep. I pray the Lord, my soul to keep. If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. God bless Mommy and Bo. Wake me up when we get to the new doctor.
Mommy, that new doctor scares me. He’s not nice like our other one, he scares me mommy. Please, let’s go home.
Miss Johnson, would you like to hold your baby son? Hi mommy, I’m Bo. See, I told you the first time our eyes met would be something special. Mommy I’m so glad we went back to our old doctor. Mommy and Bo. We’re going to make a great team, you’ll see.
Bo’s going to be a cool little kid, you’ll see. Please choose life.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
I heard a man talking about this being a bad time. What did he mean, mommy? This is going to be a great time. You’ll see. I can‘t wait till you can hold me for the first time. And the first time our eyes meet is going to be something special, I promise. You’re going to love the way I run to you for comfort. There’s no safer place than in your mother’s arms. I’m going to need a lot of help learning to walk. They tell me it’s pretty hard. With your help I’ll be just fine, you’ll see.
It’s going to break my heart when I have to go to kindergarten. But that’s the only way I can learn to read. I can’t wait to read you a bedtime story for a change mommy. Will you teach me how to play baseball? I heard it was fun. Will we go to Gage Park? Teach me about the monkeys mommy. I think they’re funny. How about my first bike, will you help me learn how to ride it mommy? I think I’d like to play the guitar. Can you teach me how. I hope you name me Bo. I really think it’s a cool name. Mommy and Bo. We’ll make a great team, you’ll see.
Mommy, I heard that man talking about time being up. Didn’t you tell him we’d decided to name me Bo? Tell him mommy. I don’t like him mommy, he makes you cry. When I get big I‘ll never make you sad mommy, I promise. You’ll see.
Mommy, I heard you and that man talking about a new doctor. Is that why you’re sad? Are you afraid? Don’t be. We’ll get through this together. You’ll see. I promise to behave myself if that’s what you’re worried about. I want to make a good impression on our new doctor too. Mommy, I’m getting sleepy. Don’t worry, I won’t forget to say my prayers.
Now I lay me, down to sleep. I pray the Lord, my soul to keep. If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. God bless Mommy and Bo. Wake me up when we get to the new doctor.
Mommy, that new doctor scares me. He’s not nice like our other one, he scares me mommy. Please, let’s go home.
Miss Johnson, would you like to hold your baby son? Hi mommy, I’m Bo. See, I told you the first time our eyes met would be something special. Mommy I’m so glad we went back to our old doctor. Mommy and Bo. We’re going to make a great team, you’ll see.
Bo’s going to be a cool little kid, you’ll see. Please choose life.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
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