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. Mommy, he hurt me when he was squeezing your tummy. He scares me mommy. Please, let’s go home. Mommy he’s hurting me again. Please make him stop mommy! Mommy, he’s poking me in the head with something! Please mommy, please make him stop! Mommy, it hurts! Mo… Please choose life.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Walk Away
Before I get started today I’d like to thank District Attorney, Robert Hecht for appealing Judge Dowd’s recent decision to grant Orlando Paul Cisneros probation for seventeen felony counts of child rape and sodomy. And thank you State Representative, Joe Patton for your work on the sentencing guidelines. Judge Dowd is a perfect example of why we need to take away some of the discretion Judges have in certain crimes. Personally, I believe raping a child should fall into this category. If you rape a child you go to prison, period. It’s hard to believe other lawmakers in our once great state will fight you on this, but they will. I wish you both well in the battles that lie ahead. Thank you Judge Jean Schmidt for denying Mr. Cisneros visitation rights based on his long-term physical separation from the kids. It’s reassuring to know that there are still Judge’s that try look out for the kids.
Now for you Mr. Cisneros. You’re probably not going to like what I have to say. But you know what? I really don’t care what you like. Were you thinking of anyone else’s feelings when you were raping that young girl? Did you ever once consider the fact that you were raping some father‘s little girl. How about what this could do to her mother? Did you think about that Orlando? Hope you don’t mind if I call you Orlando because calling you Mr. Cisneros suggests a certain level of respect that‘s just not there, so I’m going with Orlando from here on out.
It wasn’t enough for you to mess up one family Orlando. You actually had the nerve to drag the mother of the two kids you fathered into court because you expect us to believe that now you’re ready to be a daddy. Give me a break.
Here’s the deal. I’m a big supporter of father’s rights. But only when the father’s worthy of those rights. There’s a hell of a lot more to being a father than getting a woman pregnant Orlando. It takes years of trial and error. It takes time, It takes being there for your kids. It’s a father’s job to help with the diaper’s, their first steps, and to be there when they fall. That’s the most important part. They’re going to fall many times over the years. It’s a father’s job to pick them up and get them back on track. Tell me Orlando, what do you bring to the table for your kids? Name one positive thing you have to offer them. I realize you probably miss them. But you know what? It’s all because of decisions you’ve made. Live with it.
You say you’re ready to be a father. No you’re not! If you understood what it means to be a father there’s no way you could rape another man’s daughter. A father would understand that whether a daughter is two or twenty-seven it makes no difference. She’ll always be his little girl. A father would never do this to another father‘s daughter. You Orlando, are no father.
At the most I think the kids should be told who you are. They should be told the truth about you when they are older, say thirteen or fourteen. Then if they want to contact you, so be it. If you care anything for them at all Orlando you’ll do the right thing and leave them alone. They’re in a stable, safe environment. Why force your chaotic life on them?
Orlando you’ve betrayed the trust one father puts in another father. Judge Dowd, you’ve betrayed all of us. Both of you need to walk away.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Now for you Mr. Cisneros. You’re probably not going to like what I have to say. But you know what? I really don’t care what you like. Were you thinking of anyone else’s feelings when you were raping that young girl? Did you ever once consider the fact that you were raping some father‘s little girl. How about what this could do to her mother? Did you think about that Orlando? Hope you don’t mind if I call you Orlando because calling you Mr. Cisneros suggests a certain level of respect that‘s just not there, so I’m going with Orlando from here on out.
It wasn’t enough for you to mess up one family Orlando. You actually had the nerve to drag the mother of the two kids you fathered into court because you expect us to believe that now you’re ready to be a daddy. Give me a break.
Here’s the deal. I’m a big supporter of father’s rights. But only when the father’s worthy of those rights. There’s a hell of a lot more to being a father than getting a woman pregnant Orlando. It takes years of trial and error. It takes time, It takes being there for your kids. It’s a father’s job to help with the diaper’s, their first steps, and to be there when they fall. That’s the most important part. They’re going to fall many times over the years. It’s a father’s job to pick them up and get them back on track. Tell me Orlando, what do you bring to the table for your kids? Name one positive thing you have to offer them. I realize you probably miss them. But you know what? It’s all because of decisions you’ve made. Live with it.
You say you’re ready to be a father. No you’re not! If you understood what it means to be a father there’s no way you could rape another man’s daughter. A father would understand that whether a daughter is two or twenty-seven it makes no difference. She’ll always be his little girl. A father would never do this to another father‘s daughter. You Orlando, are no father.
At the most I think the kids should be told who you are. They should be told the truth about you when they are older, say thirteen or fourteen. Then if they want to contact you, so be it. If you care anything for them at all Orlando you’ll do the right thing and leave them alone. They’re in a stable, safe environment. Why force your chaotic life on them?
Orlando you’ve betrayed the trust one father puts in another father. Judge Dowd, you’ve betrayed all of us. Both of you need to walk away.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Dillons
If you had the chance to help a bunch of people, would you do it? What if all you had to do was to make a simple phone call, or send an e-mail. Would you do it? If you knew that Dillons might not rebuild their store in Greensburg. Would you be willing to make a call urging them to do the right thing? If I went first, would you join in to help the people of Greensburg keep their Dillons?
I understand companies must make a profit. I understand that to continue to make a profit a company has to grow. I get it. But as these companies grow they always forget where they came from. It gets worse once this company decides to go public. In Dillons case, they were swallowed up by the Kroger Co. of Cincinnati. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bashing Kroger. They’re very good at what they do. They have some of the biggest, most well stocked stores anywhere. They’re Huge! They’ve obviously made very good business decisions. Gotta hit those numbers! I get it.
According to a story in the Capital-Journal, Dillons isn’t sure they’ll rebuild in Greensburg. Dillons spokeswoman Sheila Lowrie said the company is waiting for information like returning population estimates, infrastructure plans, and highway location before making any decisions about rebuilding. She also said the decision will be made with their parent company, Kroger Co. of Cincinnati. These are all important issues. I get it.
Just do it because it’s the right thing to do Sheila? I don’t know when you built the store in Greensburg, but it’s safe to say you’ve had three generations of families supporting it. I was one of them for twelve years. And because of that my wife and I have shopped Dillons Brookwood for the last seventeen years. My daughter shops the Dillons in North Topeka. That’s how it works.
Instead of requiring Greensburg to prove itself to you, you should be a stand up company and ask what you can do for them. I realize you’ve outgrown small, hometown stores. But you need to remember, this is exactly where you came from. Stores just like the tiny one in Greensburg.
As you know, the Greensburg tornado has become a National story. Think of the Public Relations Bonanza it could be. You could easily spin this in a way to make your company look like National, Corporate Hero’s. I can’t see this as anything but good for business.
But if you decide not to rebuild there. You run the risk of being known as the company that abandoned Greensburg in it’s greatest time of need. Think of the Public Relations nightmare your competitors could make this into. Just think of the customers you might lose statewide. I promise I’ll be one of them. Just something to think about as you make your decision.
It’s important that some day when Greensburg is rebuilt it can be somewhat close to what it used to be. If enough of us make the call to let Dillons know it’s important that they’re a major part of the new Greensburg, we might make a difference. Who knows?
You can call their Customer Comment number at (1-800-362-2183) or you can visit their website at (www.dillons.com) click on Contact Us, click on Customer Comment. There’s no reason to be disrespectful but make sure they understand that Kansan’s stand behind the people of Greensburg and they should too. I don’t know if we can make a difference or not. But I know for a fact if we just stay quiet, Greensburg will lose their Dillons. I’ve made my call and fired off an e-mail. Your turn. But what do I know. I’m just an old guy.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at:kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
I understand companies must make a profit. I understand that to continue to make a profit a company has to grow. I get it. But as these companies grow they always forget where they came from. It gets worse once this company decides to go public. In Dillons case, they were swallowed up by the Kroger Co. of Cincinnati. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bashing Kroger. They’re very good at what they do. They have some of the biggest, most well stocked stores anywhere. They’re Huge! They’ve obviously made very good business decisions. Gotta hit those numbers! I get it.
According to a story in the Capital-Journal, Dillons isn’t sure they’ll rebuild in Greensburg. Dillons spokeswoman Sheila Lowrie said the company is waiting for information like returning population estimates, infrastructure plans, and highway location before making any decisions about rebuilding. She also said the decision will be made with their parent company, Kroger Co. of Cincinnati. These are all important issues. I get it.
Just do it because it’s the right thing to do Sheila? I don’t know when you built the store in Greensburg, but it’s safe to say you’ve had three generations of families supporting it. I was one of them for twelve years. And because of that my wife and I have shopped Dillons Brookwood for the last seventeen years. My daughter shops the Dillons in North Topeka. That’s how it works.
Instead of requiring Greensburg to prove itself to you, you should be a stand up company and ask what you can do for them. I realize you’ve outgrown small, hometown stores. But you need to remember, this is exactly where you came from. Stores just like the tiny one in Greensburg.
As you know, the Greensburg tornado has become a National story. Think of the Public Relations Bonanza it could be. You could easily spin this in a way to make your company look like National, Corporate Hero’s. I can’t see this as anything but good for business.
But if you decide not to rebuild there. You run the risk of being known as the company that abandoned Greensburg in it’s greatest time of need. Think of the Public Relations nightmare your competitors could make this into. Just think of the customers you might lose statewide. I promise I’ll be one of them. Just something to think about as you make your decision.
It’s important that some day when Greensburg is rebuilt it can be somewhat close to what it used to be. If enough of us make the call to let Dillons know it’s important that they’re a major part of the new Greensburg, we might make a difference. Who knows?
You can call their Customer Comment number at (1-800-362-2183) or you can visit their website at (www.dillons.com) click on Contact Us, click on Customer Comment. There’s no reason to be disrespectful but make sure they understand that Kansan’s stand behind the people of Greensburg and they should too. I don’t know if we can make a difference or not. But I know for a fact if we just stay quiet, Greensburg will lose their Dillons. I’ve made my call and fired off an e-mail. Your turn. But what do I know. I’m just an old guy.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at:kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Truckhenge
Today I’m going to talk about a good friend of mine, but first I think we should all take a minute or two to think of Kelsey Smith, maybe say a little prayer for her family. They’re going through an unimaginable hell because of some damn freak. There will be those who believe he can be rehabilitated. In my mind, if they can prove without a doubt, the man they have in custody is the one who killed this poor girl. Then he deserves the “Death Penalty.” And I’ll just leave it at that.
I wanted to tell you about an experience I had a couple weeks ago. Thomas Lessman and his family put on an Anti-Phelps concert at their place. I spent about two hours just sitting there out in the open listening to the music and looking around this place called the “Lessman Farm.”
I’ve known Thomas for about a year now I guess. My first contact with him was on Steve Forman’s “Wake Up Call Blog.” We had some pretty good on-line debates. I’m sure Thomas will disagree, but I won them all. Hey, it’s my story. Google him, find his web-site and you’ll find he considers himself a “Citizen-Advocate-Activist.” When I first met him he was running for House of Representatives in the 53rd District on the “Libertarian Party” Ticket. I once asked him why he didn’t just switch parties so he could have a better chance at winning. Now that I’ve gotten to know him and the more I’ve learned about the Libertarian Party, I know why. He’s not willing to compromise his beliefs. It’s safe to say he’s one of the most stubborn people I’ve ever known.
One thing the Libertarian Party’s big on is personal property rights. On this issue the Lessman Family walks the walk. Yeah, Thomas is stubborn but he comes by it honestly. I had the privilege of meeting his dad, Ron Lessman. He’s gotta be one of the coolest “old guys” I’ve ever met. But I’m willing to bet there are a few former and present County Officials who don’t think so.
Welcome to the Lessman Farm, home of “Truckhenge.” I don’t know the details but it seems like there was a battle between Ron and the County about him picking up some old trucks and assorted equipment around his property. Ron had trouble understanding why the County thought they had any say about what he did on his property. Property that has been in the Lessman family for 130 years. Property that sits at the end of a dead end road. But in the end he complied. Well, sort of. This compliance was and remains to this day an act of defiance. He picked it up alright. He lined both sides of the road entering his property with those alleged trucks. Half buried them sticking straight up in the air. Painted them white and painted defiant slogans on them. One states that “Freedum Isn’t Lost!” I guess there was an issue of beer bottles. Yep, he picked them up too. He built “Beer Bottle City” out of them. There are several metal and bottle sculptures. He made a few sings saying things like “Warning, Man With Ideas!” Another one says “Zoned To Speak Your mind!” He built his house in a Quonset Hut with all recycled materials. This has to be the coolest house around. Yeah, Ron complied alright. I think he won the battle and in the end he also won the war. How cool is that? This old guy wants to thank the Lessman family for welcoming my family into your home. You’re good people.
You can reach this old guy at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
I wanted to tell you about an experience I had a couple weeks ago. Thomas Lessman and his family put on an Anti-Phelps concert at their place. I spent about two hours just sitting there out in the open listening to the music and looking around this place called the “Lessman Farm.”
I’ve known Thomas for about a year now I guess. My first contact with him was on Steve Forman’s “Wake Up Call Blog.” We had some pretty good on-line debates. I’m sure Thomas will disagree, but I won them all. Hey, it’s my story. Google him, find his web-site and you’ll find he considers himself a “Citizen-Advocate-Activist.” When I first met him he was running for House of Representatives in the 53rd District on the “Libertarian Party” Ticket. I once asked him why he didn’t just switch parties so he could have a better chance at winning. Now that I’ve gotten to know him and the more I’ve learned about the Libertarian Party, I know why. He’s not willing to compromise his beliefs. It’s safe to say he’s one of the most stubborn people I’ve ever known.
One thing the Libertarian Party’s big on is personal property rights. On this issue the Lessman Family walks the walk. Yeah, Thomas is stubborn but he comes by it honestly. I had the privilege of meeting his dad, Ron Lessman. He’s gotta be one of the coolest “old guys” I’ve ever met. But I’m willing to bet there are a few former and present County Officials who don’t think so.
Welcome to the Lessman Farm, home of “Truckhenge.” I don’t know the details but it seems like there was a battle between Ron and the County about him picking up some old trucks and assorted equipment around his property. Ron had trouble understanding why the County thought they had any say about what he did on his property. Property that has been in the Lessman family for 130 years. Property that sits at the end of a dead end road. But in the end he complied. Well, sort of. This compliance was and remains to this day an act of defiance. He picked it up alright. He lined both sides of the road entering his property with those alleged trucks. Half buried them sticking straight up in the air. Painted them white and painted defiant slogans on them. One states that “Freedum Isn’t Lost!” I guess there was an issue of beer bottles. Yep, he picked them up too. He built “Beer Bottle City” out of them. There are several metal and bottle sculptures. He made a few sings saying things like “Warning, Man With Ideas!” Another one says “Zoned To Speak Your mind!” He built his house in a Quonset Hut with all recycled materials. This has to be the coolest house around. Yeah, Ron complied alright. I think he won the battle and in the end he also won the war. How cool is that? This old guy wants to thank the Lessman family for welcoming my family into your home. You’re good people.
You can reach this old guy at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Judge Dowd
I’m not sure whose worse, Governor Sebelius for her unconditional support of George Tiller. Or a Judge who knowingly releases child rapists and pedophiles back into society. I should probably tell you these are my thoughts and they have nothing to do with the views of the Metro News.
Judge Mathew Dowd, I’m sure you’re aware of the recidivism rate for sex offenders. It looks like you decided that according to the numbers Paul Cisneros should receive probation instead of the prison time he deserved. What if you’re wrong Judge? Who’s his next victim going to be? What if this time he picks a young girl he can’t manipulate? Will he kill her? If so, will her body ever be found? Will her family ever know what happened to her? Will hunters find her in the woods, or spot a leg sticking out of the water of some lonely creek in the middle of nowhere? This is the reality to many parents find themselves in every day in our country. And it’s because Judges like you seem more concerned with the rapists getting counseling than paying a price for their sick crimes. How about the girls right not to be raped Judge? Shouldn’t that come into play?
It seems that because Paul Cisneros is depressed over his parents getting divorced thirty years ago it’s okay with you if he repeatedly rapes a fourteen year old girl over the course of a couple months. And because Fedrico Mendoza is a “manic-depressive” it was okay for him to drive all the way here from Hutchinson to have sex with what he thought was a thirteen year old girl. Luckily, he was caught up in an internet sting operation. Your claim that there was no real victim was bogus and you know it. What about the next time Judge. Did you think about that? Yeah, I know, if he does it again he’ll go to jail. Big Deal! You’re missing the point Judge. It’s your job to make sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s your job to protect our kids from people like this.
Here’s what I think of the depression excuse Judge. Who the hell cares? Yeah, life can kick you in the gut sometimes and every single one of us has something to be depressed about. It doesn’t give us a pass. If your parents getting divorced thirty years ago is allowed to stand as an excuse for child rape we might as well give it up.
I visited with you a few weeks ago Judge. I doubt you remember it, that’s okay. I do. As usual I was listening to “The Jim Cates Show” and you happened to be one of Jim’s guests that day. I called to ask your opinion about the way District Judge, Paul Clark dropped the charges Phill Kline filed against George Tiller the same day they were filed. You went on to say Paul Clark was a good friend of yours and you thought he’d handled it just fine. Your answer bothered me but because Jim was out of time I had to let it go.
I’ve noticed a connection between your answer that day and the events of the last few weeks. By dropping the charges against Tiller, some of which allege child rape, your good friend let a child rapist loose to do it again. You’re a Judge, and this is okay with you?
Judge Dowd, you let the jury who convicted this man down. You let this young girl and her family down. You let us all down Judge. You say you’re retiring. Sorry, that’s not good enough. The only “honorable” option you have, “your honor,” is to step down before you can hurt anyone else.
You can contact this old guy at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Judge Mathew Dowd, I’m sure you’re aware of the recidivism rate for sex offenders. It looks like you decided that according to the numbers Paul Cisneros should receive probation instead of the prison time he deserved. What if you’re wrong Judge? Who’s his next victim going to be? What if this time he picks a young girl he can’t manipulate? Will he kill her? If so, will her body ever be found? Will her family ever know what happened to her? Will hunters find her in the woods, or spot a leg sticking out of the water of some lonely creek in the middle of nowhere? This is the reality to many parents find themselves in every day in our country. And it’s because Judges like you seem more concerned with the rapists getting counseling than paying a price for their sick crimes. How about the girls right not to be raped Judge? Shouldn’t that come into play?
It seems that because Paul Cisneros is depressed over his parents getting divorced thirty years ago it’s okay with you if he repeatedly rapes a fourteen year old girl over the course of a couple months. And because Fedrico Mendoza is a “manic-depressive” it was okay for him to drive all the way here from Hutchinson to have sex with what he thought was a thirteen year old girl. Luckily, he was caught up in an internet sting operation. Your claim that there was no real victim was bogus and you know it. What about the next time Judge. Did you think about that? Yeah, I know, if he does it again he’ll go to jail. Big Deal! You’re missing the point Judge. It’s your job to make sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s your job to protect our kids from people like this.
Here’s what I think of the depression excuse Judge. Who the hell cares? Yeah, life can kick you in the gut sometimes and every single one of us has something to be depressed about. It doesn’t give us a pass. If your parents getting divorced thirty years ago is allowed to stand as an excuse for child rape we might as well give it up.
I visited with you a few weeks ago Judge. I doubt you remember it, that’s okay. I do. As usual I was listening to “The Jim Cates Show” and you happened to be one of Jim’s guests that day. I called to ask your opinion about the way District Judge, Paul Clark dropped the charges Phill Kline filed against George Tiller the same day they were filed. You went on to say Paul Clark was a good friend of yours and you thought he’d handled it just fine. Your answer bothered me but because Jim was out of time I had to let it go.
I’ve noticed a connection between your answer that day and the events of the last few weeks. By dropping the charges against Tiller, some of which allege child rape, your good friend let a child rapist loose to do it again. You’re a Judge, and this is okay with you?
Judge Dowd, you let the jury who convicted this man down. You let this young girl and her family down. You let us all down Judge. You say you’re retiring. Sorry, that’s not good enough. The only “honorable” option you have, “your honor,” is to step down before you can hurt anyone else.
You can contact this old guy at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Belvidere, The Sequeal
Hey guys, wake up. Tracy got his gas shipment late last night. I know, it’s 4:00 A.M., but I want to be on top of that hill behind Belvidere to watch the sun come up. If we get there early enough we’ll be able to see the lights from Medicine Lodge, Pratt, Dodge City, and if it’s clear enough, Great Bend. We used to sit on that hill to watch meteor showers. After several nights of searching, Eric and I found Haley’s Comet from the top of that same hill many years ago. Come on, I’ve already filled up and Tracy’s wife fixed us coffee. Let’s go.
Hear those coyotes? They know we‘re here, but don’t worry they won’t come anywhere close to us. Unless they have rabies I guess. In that case they might kill us. Who knows? Hey look, there’s Medicine Lodge. I told you this would be cool. And there it is, the sun’s coming up. I still remember my first sunrise. My dad showed it to me when I was about seven I guess. He was a roughneck and worked morning tower which means he worked third shift on an oil rig. I went to work with him for years but usually slept through this part of the morning. Anyway, one of those mornings he woke me up to see a show I still remember after all these years. Thank you dad.
Three or four miles up the road is an old, wrecked truck I want to show you. A couple weeks ago I mentioned a cowboy friend of mine named Tim. Well Tim worked here on the ranch, in fact he’s the one who showed me around here in the first place. Like most cowboys Tim worked hard but lived even harder. He was coming home one night when he crashed his ranch truck into that cattle guard. It wasn’t a horrendous crash or anything like that, but it was enough to get him fired. Dick Robbins, the owner of the ranch left the truck right where it was as a warning to others who might drink and drive one of his trucks. There it is, eighteen years later. Talk about holding a grudge!
Another mile or so up the road is the house Tim was trying to get to that night. Normally I’d show it to you, but I have no idea who lives there today. We‘ll just keep going. Like Tim, these are all good people if they know you. But if they don’t, they have no problem running you off. Besides, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. Rosa Smith.
We’re going to turn off the road here, hang on, it’s really rough. We’re headed down along the creek toward that flat spot. Hi Rosa, hope you don’t mind that I brought a few friends. Hey, looks like the cowboys are taking good care of the place. The fence looks good and the grass has been cut. I brought you flowers but it looks like someone beat me to it. That’s good.
Actually, I never met Rosa. You see, this is where she was buried in 1889. Her tombstone says she was born in 1873, making her only sixteen years old. It also says she died fighting prairie fires. I have no idea who takes care of her grave, but you can bet it’s one of those hard living cowboys like my friend and you can bet he’s a good person. Thank you for sharing your world with me Tim. Hope you guys enjoyed the trip, but we’d better get home. My wife is going to kill me!
This old guy can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Hear those coyotes? They know we‘re here, but don’t worry they won’t come anywhere close to us. Unless they have rabies I guess. In that case they might kill us. Who knows? Hey look, there’s Medicine Lodge. I told you this would be cool. And there it is, the sun’s coming up. I still remember my first sunrise. My dad showed it to me when I was about seven I guess. He was a roughneck and worked morning tower which means he worked third shift on an oil rig. I went to work with him for years but usually slept through this part of the morning. Anyway, one of those mornings he woke me up to see a show I still remember after all these years. Thank you dad.
Three or four miles up the road is an old, wrecked truck I want to show you. A couple weeks ago I mentioned a cowboy friend of mine named Tim. Well Tim worked here on the ranch, in fact he’s the one who showed me around here in the first place. Like most cowboys Tim worked hard but lived even harder. He was coming home one night when he crashed his ranch truck into that cattle guard. It wasn’t a horrendous crash or anything like that, but it was enough to get him fired. Dick Robbins, the owner of the ranch left the truck right where it was as a warning to others who might drink and drive one of his trucks. There it is, eighteen years later. Talk about holding a grudge!
Another mile or so up the road is the house Tim was trying to get to that night. Normally I’d show it to you, but I have no idea who lives there today. We‘ll just keep going. Like Tim, these are all good people if they know you. But if they don’t, they have no problem running you off. Besides, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. Rosa Smith.
We’re going to turn off the road here, hang on, it’s really rough. We’re headed down along the creek toward that flat spot. Hi Rosa, hope you don’t mind that I brought a few friends. Hey, looks like the cowboys are taking good care of the place. The fence looks good and the grass has been cut. I brought you flowers but it looks like someone beat me to it. That’s good.
Actually, I never met Rosa. You see, this is where she was buried in 1889. Her tombstone says she was born in 1873, making her only sixteen years old. It also says she died fighting prairie fires. I have no idea who takes care of her grave, but you can bet it’s one of those hard living cowboys like my friend and you can bet he’s a good person. Thank you for sharing your world with me Tim. Hope you guys enjoyed the trip, but we’d better get home. My wife is going to kill me!
This old guy can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Belvidere
After several e-mail‘s and a couple phone calls I was finally able to get in touch with one of my old friends from Greensburg, Eric. He told me how he’d lost everything he owned in a matter of thirty seconds, but considers himself lucky. His family came through it without a scratch. I asked him what I could do to help. He said to give him a few weeks to get settled into a house they’re renting in Haviland and when he’s ready, he wants us to come out for a road trip to Belvidere.
There’s no better place to get away to. There’s a pretty good chance most of you have never heard of Belvidere. It’s population ranges anywhere from eight to twenty people. Actually, Belvidere is the half way point in a fifty mile road trip through the gypsum hills around Medicine Lodge, and it’s some of the most beautiful country in the State.
Hop in, there‘s room for everyone. I hope you don’t mind riding in my old jeep with the top off. It’s all dirt roads and it’ll be hot and dusty. But the good news is that, at some of the low water crossings we have a good chance of getting soaked. It doesn’t take much to amuse an old guy.
Since we can’t leave from Greensburg, we’ll drop south at the Brenham elevator. Hey look, there’s that old wooden windmill, it’s got to be a hundred years old. Another few miles we’ll get to a place called Devil’s Corral. But first, check out those abandoned farm houses. I’ve been through most of them. My brother, Aaron and I used to get a kick of going through them in the middle of the night. Believe me, you haven’t lived till you’ve climbed into the attic or basement of one of these possibly, haunted houses at three in the morning with only your Bud Light, I mean flashlight. Okay, alcohol was usually involved. Why else would you do something that stupid. Yeah, I know it was a bad thing. But man, those were good times.
There it is. Devil’s Corral, about a quarter mile down this trail. It’s a bunch of rock formations shaped like a huge corral. People have been coming here to carve their names in the rocks for years. Some go back to the 1890’s. Hey look, there we are, July, 1985. Almost like coming home.
We’d better get going, it’s starting to rain. Hang on, these old cattle guards are really rough. We’ve just entered the “Anchor-D, Long Horn Ranch.” And just around this curve we’ll stop at the old abandoned school house. It was built in 1887. Be careful, some of the boards are rotten, but the frame of the old black board is still there. If you sit here long enough, you can almost hear the teacher yelling at poor little Johnny.
Sorry guys, it doesn’t look like this rain is going to let up. It’s another five miles to Belvidere, are you up to getting wet? Good, let’s do it. The ranch is split up into different camps. Everything on this side of the creek is called “Bean Camp.” and Belvidere is just on the other side. Once we get there we’ll stop at the “Trails End Junk Shop,” it’s part antique shop, and part general store.
Hi Tracy, Glad to see you, I thought for sure we were going to run out of gas. Oh, I see. Okay, I’ll let them know. Guys, Tracy’s out of gas too and won’t get anymore till next Friday. He said he’d put us up till then, it’s up to you. Personally, this old guy could use the rest.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
There’s no better place to get away to. There’s a pretty good chance most of you have never heard of Belvidere. It’s population ranges anywhere from eight to twenty people. Actually, Belvidere is the half way point in a fifty mile road trip through the gypsum hills around Medicine Lodge, and it’s some of the most beautiful country in the State.
Hop in, there‘s room for everyone. I hope you don’t mind riding in my old jeep with the top off. It’s all dirt roads and it’ll be hot and dusty. But the good news is that, at some of the low water crossings we have a good chance of getting soaked. It doesn’t take much to amuse an old guy.
Since we can’t leave from Greensburg, we’ll drop south at the Brenham elevator. Hey look, there’s that old wooden windmill, it’s got to be a hundred years old. Another few miles we’ll get to a place called Devil’s Corral. But first, check out those abandoned farm houses. I’ve been through most of them. My brother, Aaron and I used to get a kick of going through them in the middle of the night. Believe me, you haven’t lived till you’ve climbed into the attic or basement of one of these possibly, haunted houses at three in the morning with only your Bud Light, I mean flashlight. Okay, alcohol was usually involved. Why else would you do something that stupid. Yeah, I know it was a bad thing. But man, those were good times.
There it is. Devil’s Corral, about a quarter mile down this trail. It’s a bunch of rock formations shaped like a huge corral. People have been coming here to carve their names in the rocks for years. Some go back to the 1890’s. Hey look, there we are, July, 1985. Almost like coming home.
We’d better get going, it’s starting to rain. Hang on, these old cattle guards are really rough. We’ve just entered the “Anchor-D, Long Horn Ranch.” And just around this curve we’ll stop at the old abandoned school house. It was built in 1887. Be careful, some of the boards are rotten, but the frame of the old black board is still there. If you sit here long enough, you can almost hear the teacher yelling at poor little Johnny.
Sorry guys, it doesn’t look like this rain is going to let up. It’s another five miles to Belvidere, are you up to getting wet? Good, let’s do it. The ranch is split up into different camps. Everything on this side of the creek is called “Bean Camp.” and Belvidere is just on the other side. Once we get there we’ll stop at the “Trails End Junk Shop,” it’s part antique shop, and part general store.
Hi Tracy, Glad to see you, I thought for sure we were going to run out of gas. Oh, I see. Okay, I’ll let them know. Guys, Tracy’s out of gas too and won’t get anymore till next Friday. He said he’d put us up till then, it’s up to you. Personally, this old guy could use the rest.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Adam
It’s funny how a simple phone call can make you realize what‘s important. For instance, I had just sat down to work on this weeks column. I was having trouble deciding what to write about. I’m still steaming over Governor Sebelius using Greensburg as an excuse to take a political cheap shot at Bush. For a woman who’s made very few political mistakes, she really blew this one. She had the chance to be to Kansas, what Rudy Giuliani was to New York City after 9-11. The response the tornado was immediate and massive. She could’ve been a National hero. Sorry Governor, but that was really stupid. I thought about writing about that.
I also considered writing about a family gathering we’re planning next weekend at my sister-in-law’s house. I can’t begin to explain how nervous this makes me. People accuse me of being opinionated, you ought to meet my wife! There’s Karen, the Christian conservative. Donna, the feminist liberal. Bill, the Priest, and then there’s Joe, well you know Joe. To top it off, my parents from Arizona are going to be there. My mom is a little on the liberal side and my dad hates to talk politics. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten together without a good, heated, political debate. I’ve explained before that we prefer to call them debates rather than call it what it really is. A white trash brawl.
Who knows, I might even start it this year. My niece Audrey, the daughter of Karen the conservative has a boyfriend. He seems like a nice guy I guess. But Karen tells me he likes to wear an “OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT” t-shirt when he’s at her house. I’m looking for a t-shirt that says something like “REMEMBER, OBAMA’S A MUSLIM!” That ought to at least get things started.
I was leaning toward writing about the Governor’s cheap shot when my son-in-law called to ask if I wanted to go to Jardine Middle school with him and my grandson, Adam. It seems Adam finally learned how to ride his bike. He had a hard time with it last year and pretty much gave up on the whole stupid idea. Well, a couple days ago he just got back on and took off and wanted me to see him ride. How cool is that?
So I’ve decided to write about Adam this week. Adam and his really cool bike. Watch this grandpa! Watch how fast I can go! Hey look grandpa, I can jump the curb and I can ride with my feet on the handle bars! Come on grandpa, I’ll race you!
I decided not to race him. I was content to just watch. You could see the pride in his face as he raced his way around the parking lot. You could see it in the way he maneuvered his way through the chain link fence surrounding the tennis courts. He was loving his new found independence. I kept telling him he needed to slow down. He just laughed as he sped by. Yeah, my little guy’s growing up.
I couldn’t help but feel a little sadness though. Today he’s riding his first bike. Next it’ll be a go-cart. Then he’ll want a motorcycle. Before you know it he’ll be in high school, running around with his friends and taking girls out in his own car.
Adam, always remember this. Never ride your bike faster than your Guardian Angel can fly. This old guy thinks being a grandpa is the best job in the world.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
I also considered writing about a family gathering we’re planning next weekend at my sister-in-law’s house. I can’t begin to explain how nervous this makes me. People accuse me of being opinionated, you ought to meet my wife! There’s Karen, the Christian conservative. Donna, the feminist liberal. Bill, the Priest, and then there’s Joe, well you know Joe. To top it off, my parents from Arizona are going to be there. My mom is a little on the liberal side and my dad hates to talk politics. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten together without a good, heated, political debate. I’ve explained before that we prefer to call them debates rather than call it what it really is. A white trash brawl.
Who knows, I might even start it this year. My niece Audrey, the daughter of Karen the conservative has a boyfriend. He seems like a nice guy I guess. But Karen tells me he likes to wear an “OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT” t-shirt when he’s at her house. I’m looking for a t-shirt that says something like “REMEMBER, OBAMA’S A MUSLIM!” That ought to at least get things started.
I was leaning toward writing about the Governor’s cheap shot when my son-in-law called to ask if I wanted to go to Jardine Middle school with him and my grandson, Adam. It seems Adam finally learned how to ride his bike. He had a hard time with it last year and pretty much gave up on the whole stupid idea. Well, a couple days ago he just got back on and took off and wanted me to see him ride. How cool is that?
So I’ve decided to write about Adam this week. Adam and his really cool bike. Watch this grandpa! Watch how fast I can go! Hey look grandpa, I can jump the curb and I can ride with my feet on the handle bars! Come on grandpa, I’ll race you!
I decided not to race him. I was content to just watch. You could see the pride in his face as he raced his way around the parking lot. You could see it in the way he maneuvered his way through the chain link fence surrounding the tennis courts. He was loving his new found independence. I kept telling him he needed to slow down. He just laughed as he sped by. Yeah, my little guy’s growing up.
I couldn’t help but feel a little sadness though. Today he’s riding his first bike. Next it’ll be a go-cart. Then he’ll want a motorcycle. Before you know it he’ll be in high school, running around with his friends and taking girls out in his own car.
Adam, always remember this. Never ride your bike faster than your Guardian Angel can fly. This old guy thinks being a grandpa is the best job in the world.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Greensburg
A couple weeks ago I talked about reclaiming my basement and about the pictures of the kids I hadn’t seen in more years than I care to admit. It reminded me of what a wonderful life I‘ve had. A huge part of that life was our adopted hometown. I say adopted because we lived there for about twelve years. But that was seventeen years ago. After going through the pictures, my daughter and I planned a trip back to our hometown where most of them were taken. We never got around to setting a date for our trip. I mean, what’s the hurry? It’s only about 6 hours away, any weekend will do.
Oh, we had big plans. Our first stop was going to be The Kansan Restaurant, it sits right off Highway 54 just as you come into town. Next on the list was Dillon’s, it’s just down the street. Most people around here would laugh if they saw it. It’s one of the first stores Dillon’s built and only had six aisles. I just loved that store. Anyway two of the best friends I’ve ever had worked there. Eric Sears And John Adolph ( Big John.) Anyway I’d let them know we were in town and offer to buy them a beer at Larry’s after they got off work. In the mean time we had other things to do.
We wanted to see the pool, it had this concrete island thing in the middle. The kids loved that. I wanted to see the State Lake right outside of town, stop by Coastal Mart for something to drink and visit the cemetery to pay my respects to a couple old friends and apologize for being gone so long. My daughter couldn’t wait to see her old school, and we both wanted to see the old houses we lived in.
I was so looking forward to meeting everyone at Larry’s, it was the one place I could count on seeing the rest of my friends. It was a really cool place, being the only bar in town you had a huge mix of people. You had the cowboys, farmers, oilfield workers, business owners, lawyers , even the banker. Here, everyone was on a level playing field, and for the most part everyone got along. They were all just people.
Most people had never heard of our hometown of Greensburg before last Friday night. The only thing they were famous for was having the “World’s Largest Hand Dug Well.” For awhile we lived right across the street from the Big Well. Kind of a neat thing, it was in the city park and behind it was the city water tower with the words “Big Well,” painted in big, green letters. I’ve seen that water tower hundreds of times without giving it a second thought.
Last Friday night, Greensburg became famous again when it was completely destroyed by a mile wide tornado. The saddest thing I’ve ever seen was the picture of that once proud water tower lying, broken open, on it’s side with nothing but total destruction surrounding it. This was the neighborhood most of my friends lived in and it answered my questions about whether or not they’d been hit.
We’ll still take that trip. But it’ll be to try to find old friends, apologize for being gone so long, and to say goodbye to a dear old friend. Goodbye Greensburg. Thank you for being part of my life. This old guy’s really sorry he didn‘t make that trip earlier.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Oh, we had big plans. Our first stop was going to be The Kansan Restaurant, it sits right off Highway 54 just as you come into town. Next on the list was Dillon’s, it’s just down the street. Most people around here would laugh if they saw it. It’s one of the first stores Dillon’s built and only had six aisles. I just loved that store. Anyway two of the best friends I’ve ever had worked there. Eric Sears And John Adolph ( Big John.) Anyway I’d let them know we were in town and offer to buy them a beer at Larry’s after they got off work. In the mean time we had other things to do.
We wanted to see the pool, it had this concrete island thing in the middle. The kids loved that. I wanted to see the State Lake right outside of town, stop by Coastal Mart for something to drink and visit the cemetery to pay my respects to a couple old friends and apologize for being gone so long. My daughter couldn’t wait to see her old school, and we both wanted to see the old houses we lived in.
I was so looking forward to meeting everyone at Larry’s, it was the one place I could count on seeing the rest of my friends. It was a really cool place, being the only bar in town you had a huge mix of people. You had the cowboys, farmers, oilfield workers, business owners, lawyers , even the banker. Here, everyone was on a level playing field, and for the most part everyone got along. They were all just people.
Most people had never heard of our hometown of Greensburg before last Friday night. The only thing they were famous for was having the “World’s Largest Hand Dug Well.” For awhile we lived right across the street from the Big Well. Kind of a neat thing, it was in the city park and behind it was the city water tower with the words “Big Well,” painted in big, green letters. I’ve seen that water tower hundreds of times without giving it a second thought.
Last Friday night, Greensburg became famous again when it was completely destroyed by a mile wide tornado. The saddest thing I’ve ever seen was the picture of that once proud water tower lying, broken open, on it’s side with nothing but total destruction surrounding it. This was the neighborhood most of my friends lived in and it answered my questions about whether or not they’d been hit.
We’ll still take that trip. But it’ll be to try to find old friends, apologize for being gone so long, and to say goodbye to a dear old friend. Goodbye Greensburg. Thank you for being part of my life. This old guy’s really sorry he didn‘t make that trip earlier.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Thirty Two
Today I’m going to talk about the number thirty-two and explain why it apparently makes me a bad person. But first I’d like to discuss Global-Warming.
I’ve written about it before, but it deserves repeating that in the 70’s the “experts” told us we were all going to die because of Global-Cooling. That’s right, we were headed for another Ice Age. The evidence was irrefutable. The Polar Ice Caps were expanding and the only way to save the planet was to warm it. These same “experts” devised a plan to cover the Ice Caps with a layer of soot, forcing them to melt, in turn it would warm the earth. It was our only chance.
Well that didn’t exactly pan out. Today a new generation of “experts” are telling us the same Polar Ice Caps are melting and because of this we’re all going to die. Our good buddy Al Gore, the High Priest of the Global-Warming movement says they’ve got it right this time and that the evidence is once again irrefutable.
I love watching those Hollywood celebrities and other multi-millionaires living in their mansions that consume the same amount of energy as a small town telling us we need to change our light bulbs. It cracks me up to watch these self centered, hypocrites get off their private jets to tell us we all need to cut back to save the planet.
What’s sad is that some people buy into it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for taking care of the planet. I’m very careful not to litter. I don’t really drive anymore than I need to. Not so much to save the world, I’m just tight and don’t want to pay any more for gas than I have to. But come on, I saw this poor guy riding one of those cute little scooters the other day. There he was with his over-sized white helmet, white shirt, black tie, and his Tupperware lunch box securely strapped on behind him sitting at a stoplight, when two older women on Harley’s pulled up beside him. One on each side. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but I could tell they got a kick out of it. I doubt it bothered the guy because he was saving the planet. Besides, that’s what Oprah wants him to do.
Now we have Sheryl Crow unveiling her plan to save the world. According to Ms. Crow, there’s no reason to use more than one square of toilet paper during any bathroom visit. I can think of several reasons Sheryl. How about it just being gross, and I’ll leave it at that.
This has to be the height of hypocrisy. Here we have a world famous, multi-millionaire who has everything money can buy and the only thing she can give up is toilet paper.
Sheryl, I don’t care about your bathroom habits. I do hope you wash your hands though. Your people will win a few battles along the way. You might force me to change my light bulbs, drive a tiny truck that won’t have the power to get out of it’s own way. I’ll probably lose the choice between paper or plastic. But you have a hell of a lot of nerve telling me how to wipe my own butt.
Oh yeah, thirty-two. That’s how many squares I used recently, and if I’d needed more I’d have used them. Makes you want to go out and start shaking hands, doesn’t it. Sorry, but this old guy is really grossed out now.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
I’ve written about it before, but it deserves repeating that in the 70’s the “experts” told us we were all going to die because of Global-Cooling. That’s right, we were headed for another Ice Age. The evidence was irrefutable. The Polar Ice Caps were expanding and the only way to save the planet was to warm it. These same “experts” devised a plan to cover the Ice Caps with a layer of soot, forcing them to melt, in turn it would warm the earth. It was our only chance.
Well that didn’t exactly pan out. Today a new generation of “experts” are telling us the same Polar Ice Caps are melting and because of this we’re all going to die. Our good buddy Al Gore, the High Priest of the Global-Warming movement says they’ve got it right this time and that the evidence is once again irrefutable.
I love watching those Hollywood celebrities and other multi-millionaires living in their mansions that consume the same amount of energy as a small town telling us we need to change our light bulbs. It cracks me up to watch these self centered, hypocrites get off their private jets to tell us we all need to cut back to save the planet.
What’s sad is that some people buy into it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for taking care of the planet. I’m very careful not to litter. I don’t really drive anymore than I need to. Not so much to save the world, I’m just tight and don’t want to pay any more for gas than I have to. But come on, I saw this poor guy riding one of those cute little scooters the other day. There he was with his over-sized white helmet, white shirt, black tie, and his Tupperware lunch box securely strapped on behind him sitting at a stoplight, when two older women on Harley’s pulled up beside him. One on each side. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but I could tell they got a kick out of it. I doubt it bothered the guy because he was saving the planet. Besides, that’s what Oprah wants him to do.
Now we have Sheryl Crow unveiling her plan to save the world. According to Ms. Crow, there’s no reason to use more than one square of toilet paper during any bathroom visit. I can think of several reasons Sheryl. How about it just being gross, and I’ll leave it at that.
This has to be the height of hypocrisy. Here we have a world famous, multi-millionaire who has everything money can buy and the only thing she can give up is toilet paper.
Sheryl, I don’t care about your bathroom habits. I do hope you wash your hands though. Your people will win a few battles along the way. You might force me to change my light bulbs, drive a tiny truck that won’t have the power to get out of it’s own way. I’ll probably lose the choice between paper or plastic. But you have a hell of a lot of nerve telling me how to wipe my own butt.
Oh yeah, thirty-two. That’s how many squares I used recently, and if I’d needed more I’d have used them. Makes you want to go out and start shaking hands, doesn’t it. Sorry, but this old guy is really grossed out now.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
The Good Stuff
The only thing I really accomplished while I was off work was to reclaim my basement. You see, our basement has one big room. It started out as my home office. Eventually, I had to give it up to my daughter when her two little brothers decided they each needed their own bedroom. Since those days both sons have taken it over in one capacity or another. My daughter and oldest son both did the grow up, move out, move back in thing. There were a few things they hadn’t thought of. Like say, supporting themselves. I couldn’t say much, I did the same thing.
Now it‘s mine again. I spent a couple days cleaning, painting, redoing the floor, that sort of thing. Finally, it was time to move in. This meant my old, boxed up stuff was going to be given life again. The first thing I drug in from the garage were the old book cases I made in high school, I’ve been dragging those things around all these years. My old wood shop teacher and I didn‘t get along, he gave me an F on them. He called a few years ago trying to sell me insurance. It’s ironic, he’s no longer a teacher but my book cases are as strong as ever.
It was time to unpack the boxes. I came across the briefcase I used when I drove a truck over the road. I might talk about that sometime. I found my dad and grandpa’s hard hats, they both worked in the oilfields. Priceless! There were the two surviving model cars from a lifetime ago. I say surviving because they’re not exactly in mint condition, but they’re on the bookcases just the same. I came across a couple of different sets of those pictures we used to get in those booths with the curtains at the mall. Yeah, that was fun.
It was the last three boxes that really got to me though. They were full of old pictures. Pictures I hadn’t seen in years. Old class pictures of the kids. Pictures of birthday parties, pets, their first bikes, first steps. There were pictures of the kids missing their front teeth. The boys in their new cowboy boots. Pictures of softball teams, football teams, even a couple pictures of them using the pot. There were pictures of brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. My political yard signs are now wall art. It looks like the Republican Headquarters.
I found pictures of my grandparents when my dad was baby. They were so young and had their whole lives ahead of them. There was one of my wife and I holding our new baby girl. Now my baby girl has her own seven year old son. Eventually, time gets us all .
There were pictures of old friends. One in particular, Tim, he died a few years ago. He was a real life cowboy. Most were taken at the bar, “Larry’s Place,” in Greensburg. I miss those days. I found a pocket knife an old man named George Zimmerman gave me. We worked together at “Butter Krust” bakery when I was seventeen. That old man’s gone too.
What a wonderful trip down memory lane. I found myself laughing, and yes, I’ll admit to tearing up a time or two. I realized I’ve had a wonderful life. And if my kids ever need the basement again, we’ll just pack the stuff back up and it’ll be okay. That’s my job, and this old guy wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Now it‘s mine again. I spent a couple days cleaning, painting, redoing the floor, that sort of thing. Finally, it was time to move in. This meant my old, boxed up stuff was going to be given life again. The first thing I drug in from the garage were the old book cases I made in high school, I’ve been dragging those things around all these years. My old wood shop teacher and I didn‘t get along, he gave me an F on them. He called a few years ago trying to sell me insurance. It’s ironic, he’s no longer a teacher but my book cases are as strong as ever.
It was time to unpack the boxes. I came across the briefcase I used when I drove a truck over the road. I might talk about that sometime. I found my dad and grandpa’s hard hats, they both worked in the oilfields. Priceless! There were the two surviving model cars from a lifetime ago. I say surviving because they’re not exactly in mint condition, but they’re on the bookcases just the same. I came across a couple of different sets of those pictures we used to get in those booths with the curtains at the mall. Yeah, that was fun.
It was the last three boxes that really got to me though. They were full of old pictures. Pictures I hadn’t seen in years. Old class pictures of the kids. Pictures of birthday parties, pets, their first bikes, first steps. There were pictures of the kids missing their front teeth. The boys in their new cowboy boots. Pictures of softball teams, football teams, even a couple pictures of them using the pot. There were pictures of brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. My political yard signs are now wall art. It looks like the Republican Headquarters.
I found pictures of my grandparents when my dad was baby. They were so young and had their whole lives ahead of them. There was one of my wife and I holding our new baby girl. Now my baby girl has her own seven year old son. Eventually, time gets us all .
There were pictures of old friends. One in particular, Tim, he died a few years ago. He was a real life cowboy. Most were taken at the bar, “Larry’s Place,” in Greensburg. I miss those days. I found a pocket knife an old man named George Zimmerman gave me. We worked together at “Butter Krust” bakery when I was seventeen. That old man’s gone too.
What a wonderful trip down memory lane. I found myself laughing, and yes, I’ll admit to tearing up a time or two. I realized I’ve had a wonderful life. And if my kids ever need the basement again, we’ll just pack the stuff back up and it’ll be okay. That’s my job, and this old guy wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Dear Govornor
Dear Governor Sebelius,
You’re really making things rough for me. A few friends of mine are really mad about your appointment of Dan Monnat to the Kansas Sentencing Commission. I probably didn’t help myself by explaining to them he’s an attorney representing George Tiller. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I’d just kept my mouth shut about that little detail. I’ve never been good at that sort of thing though. They asked me to write you and explain how they see things. Please keep in mind, these are their concerns. I’ve got your back.
Lets see, they remember Paul Morrison promising to drop the charges against Mr. Tiller if elected, and they’ll never forget the day Mr. Morrison withdrew the case from the Kansas Supreme Court. They can say what they want about Mr. Morrison. But they can’t say he’s not a man of his word.
I’m sure you know the story, but I promised I’d write just the same. They remember the bizarre events that took place in Wichita. You know, when Sedgwick County District Attorney, Nola Foulston convinced District Judge, Paul Clark to drop the charges against Tiller the day after Phill Kline filed them on jurisdictional grounds. I tried to explain to my friends this sort of thing happens all the time. And that the Attorney General always has to ask a District Attorney for permission before filing charges in their district, although I couldn’t actually give them any examples of it ever happening . But I assured them it was all on the up and up. Hell, we live in the great state of Kansas. It has to be. Doesn’t it?
They stood by and watched as Tiller pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into our last election. You know, the one in which Mr. Morrison defeated Phill Kline. Sorry, these friends of mine are a cynical bunch. A few of them actually believe this is why the charges against Tiller were dropped. Again, I’ve assured them there’s no way that could ever happen in Kansas.
When they heard that Nola Foulston and your new appointee, Mr. Monnat had both contributed money to Judge Clark’s re-election campaign, well I won’t even get into the things they were saying about that. I’m sure you can imagine.
I’m sorry, but when they learned that Senator Tim Huelskamp had filed a formal complaint against the good Judge for failing to disclose this information while ruling in their favor in what seemed to be the speediest court action in history. Can you believe they had the nerve to say the judge should have recused himself from the case? I’ll admit, this one looked a little bad to me too Governor.
You’ll never believe what else they’re saying. They actually believe that maybe Mr. Morrison is getting ready to file charges against Mr. Tiller, and that your appointment of his attorney to our Sentencing Commission might in some way benefit the good doctor. Crazy, isn’t it.
They keep harping on the fact you’ve vetoed every single attempt to set standards and inspections for abortion clinics since you‘ve been in office. And they keep reminding me about the thousands upon thousands of dollars you’ve accepted from Mr. Tiller for your own political campaigns over the years.
Again, I’m trying to convince them this just a long line of coincidences, and that nothing improper could ever happen in our great state. I wouldn’t worry though Governor. I’m not sure that many people care about it anyway. Yeah, this old guy’s got your back.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
You’re really making things rough for me. A few friends of mine are really mad about your appointment of Dan Monnat to the Kansas Sentencing Commission. I probably didn’t help myself by explaining to them he’s an attorney representing George Tiller. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I’d just kept my mouth shut about that little detail. I’ve never been good at that sort of thing though. They asked me to write you and explain how they see things. Please keep in mind, these are their concerns. I’ve got your back.
Lets see, they remember Paul Morrison promising to drop the charges against Mr. Tiller if elected, and they’ll never forget the day Mr. Morrison withdrew the case from the Kansas Supreme Court. They can say what they want about Mr. Morrison. But they can’t say he’s not a man of his word.
I’m sure you know the story, but I promised I’d write just the same. They remember the bizarre events that took place in Wichita. You know, when Sedgwick County District Attorney, Nola Foulston convinced District Judge, Paul Clark to drop the charges against Tiller the day after Phill Kline filed them on jurisdictional grounds. I tried to explain to my friends this sort of thing happens all the time. And that the Attorney General always has to ask a District Attorney for permission before filing charges in their district, although I couldn’t actually give them any examples of it ever happening . But I assured them it was all on the up and up. Hell, we live in the great state of Kansas. It has to be. Doesn’t it?
They stood by and watched as Tiller pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into our last election. You know, the one in which Mr. Morrison defeated Phill Kline. Sorry, these friends of mine are a cynical bunch. A few of them actually believe this is why the charges against Tiller were dropped. Again, I’ve assured them there’s no way that could ever happen in Kansas.
When they heard that Nola Foulston and your new appointee, Mr. Monnat had both contributed money to Judge Clark’s re-election campaign, well I won’t even get into the things they were saying about that. I’m sure you can imagine.
I’m sorry, but when they learned that Senator Tim Huelskamp had filed a formal complaint against the good Judge for failing to disclose this information while ruling in their favor in what seemed to be the speediest court action in history. Can you believe they had the nerve to say the judge should have recused himself from the case? I’ll admit, this one looked a little bad to me too Governor.
You’ll never believe what else they’re saying. They actually believe that maybe Mr. Morrison is getting ready to file charges against Mr. Tiller, and that your appointment of his attorney to our Sentencing Commission might in some way benefit the good doctor. Crazy, isn’t it.
They keep harping on the fact you’ve vetoed every single attempt to set standards and inspections for abortion clinics since you‘ve been in office. And they keep reminding me about the thousands upon thousands of dollars you’ve accepted from Mr. Tiller for your own political campaigns over the years.
Again, I’m trying to convince them this just a long line of coincidences, and that nothing improper could ever happen in our great state. I wouldn’t worry though Governor. I’m not sure that many people care about it anyway. Yeah, this old guy’s got your back.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Time To Go Back To Work
I’m so glad this isn’t twenty years ago. I say this because of the advances in medical care that have been made since those days. A little more than seven weeks ago I lost the use of my left hand, and my legs that were usually in pretty good shape didn’t want to work anymore. I tried to ignore this for a day or two, hoping things would clear up on their own. Like most of my plans, this one didn’t work either. Finally giving in, I went to see a doctor. The initial visit resulted in a couple of blood tests and my first ever MRI. All I’ll say about an MRI is if you find yourself needing one, they’re going tell you to keep your eyes closed. Do it. Open them and you’ll know what I mean. Once they had ruled out a stroke, I was sent to see a neurologist who determined I had a spinal injury. Another MRI led to an appointment with a surgeon who explained that I had two bulging discs in my neck that were collapsing my spinal cord by as much as 80%. I asked him about my options. There were two. I could either have surgery or I could move the wrong way and end up being paralyzed or dead. Bam!
I’m not claiming to have had a near death experience or anything that dramatic. But it was enough to get my attention. It was enough to make me wonder about my life. Have I been a good husband to my wife of 28 years? How about my kids and grandkids? Have I always been there for them? Have I written that perfect column yet? I like to believe I’ve done okay, but I know in my heart that hasn’t always been the case. I’ve made a lot of bad decisions and mistakes along the way and I’ll just leave it at that.
Because of the advances in medical science over the course of the last twenty or so years I’ve been given a second chance to get it right. Call it a re-do if you will. I’ll take it. I’m not 100% yet and they’ve explained I’ve suffered a certain degree of permanent spinal cord injury and only time will tell how much I actually recover. But I’ve gotten strong enough to go back to work this coming Monday. While it will be nice getting that weekly paycheck again, I’m going to miss my semi retirement. You know, the coming and going as I please. I’ll miss not having to miss a minute of my two favorite talk radio shows, “The Wake Up Call,” and “The Jim Cates Show.” I’ll still stay tuned in, but there will be times I’ll have to travel out of town and miss them altogether. I’m going to miss having the time to drop by the Metro anytime I happened to be in the neighborhood. And I’m going to miss having the time to organize my wife’s day. I’m sure she’ll miss me too, but I think she’s secretly glad to have me out of her hair.
Last Sunday Pete Goering told us about his lung cancer. Pete, we’re all pulling for you, and will be looking forward to reading about your progress in the battles that lie ahead. Thankfully, it’s not twenty years ago. You’re going to be amazed by the level of knowledge and professionalism you’re going to find in the medical world of today. Finally, something this old guy knows something about.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
I’m not claiming to have had a near death experience or anything that dramatic. But it was enough to get my attention. It was enough to make me wonder about my life. Have I been a good husband to my wife of 28 years? How about my kids and grandkids? Have I always been there for them? Have I written that perfect column yet? I like to believe I’ve done okay, but I know in my heart that hasn’t always been the case. I’ve made a lot of bad decisions and mistakes along the way and I’ll just leave it at that.
Because of the advances in medical science over the course of the last twenty or so years I’ve been given a second chance to get it right. Call it a re-do if you will. I’ll take it. I’m not 100% yet and they’ve explained I’ve suffered a certain degree of permanent spinal cord injury and only time will tell how much I actually recover. But I’ve gotten strong enough to go back to work this coming Monday. While it will be nice getting that weekly paycheck again, I’m going to miss my semi retirement. You know, the coming and going as I please. I’ll miss not having to miss a minute of my two favorite talk radio shows, “The Wake Up Call,” and “The Jim Cates Show.” I’ll still stay tuned in, but there will be times I’ll have to travel out of town and miss them altogether. I’m going to miss having the time to drop by the Metro anytime I happened to be in the neighborhood. And I’m going to miss having the time to organize my wife’s day. I’m sure she’ll miss me too, but I think she’s secretly glad to have me out of her hair.
Last Sunday Pete Goering told us about his lung cancer. Pete, we’re all pulling for you, and will be looking forward to reading about your progress in the battles that lie ahead. Thankfully, it’s not twenty years ago. You’re going to be amazed by the level of knowledge and professionalism you’re going to find in the medical world of today. Finally, something this old guy knows something about.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Why I Write
The two questions I get most often are why do I write and how do I decide what to write about. The first one’s easy, because I can’t sing or dance, and my temper won’t allow me to be an effective debater. If I find myself confronted by someone I consider to be an uninformed, Kool-Aid drinking idiot, I’m more than a little inclined to tell them so. By writing, I can usually avoid all this.
The second question is a little harder. If you pay attention to what’s going on in the world, there’s never a shortage of things to write about. The problem is narrowing it down to one particular topic at a time. This week is no exception, so I’ve decided to get several things off my chest at once.
I’m still steaming about the childish attack on our newspaper by talk show hosts, Raubin and Megan a couple of week ago. Just who do they think they are, and why is the management of this station okay with these kinds of unwarranted attacks on local business’s in the area? Maybe I’m missing something.
I’m very troubled that our Legislature has apparently decided not to pursue a resolution compelling our newly elected Attorney General to re-file charges against George Tiller. Mr. Neufeld, the ball is in your court. If he’s innocent, it should be easy to prove in court.
The fact that we could only manage a miserable 16% voter turnout in our recent local elections bothers me. While I’m on the subject, I find it interesting that most local elections are designed to be non-partisan, forcing a candidate to run on their own merits and not be beholding to any particular political party. What a wonderful idea, and if there is any other office that should be required to follow suit it would have to be the office of the Attorney General. Justice is supposed to be blind and shouldn’t follow party lines. Paul Morrison’s recent statement that he wouldn’t be pressured by a bunch of social conservatives (Republicans) to file charges against Tiller proves my point.
How about Nancy Pelosi and her trip to Syria? I’m no expert, but since when is it the Speaker of the House’s job to set foreign policy? And since when does The United States have a dual foreign policy? Like it or not, this is the President’s job and we elected him.
I just love how Congress has shown their support for our troops. They’ve sent Bush a war funding bill that requires a set date for troop withdrawal and is tied to 24 billion in pork-barrel spending. Bush has rightly said he’d veto it. Democrat Harry Reid has threatened to introduce a bill to entirely cut off funding the war. Do it Harry, show the American people who you really are. Either put up or shut up, and I can hardly wait to see how Nancy Boyda will vote on this one.
In the 70’s global-cooling was going to kill us all. Today it’s global-warming that’s going to kill us. The Democrats have seized on this hysteria and are telling us they’re the ones that will save the planet. Give me a break.
The fact that people even listen to people like Al Gore and John Travolta really bothers me. They use more energy and contribute more pollution than almost anyone else, but because they buy carbon credits it’s okay. It’s like going on a diet. Yeah, give me four double cheeseburgers, two large orders of onion rings, and a “diet” soda. It just doesn’t work.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
The second question is a little harder. If you pay attention to what’s going on in the world, there’s never a shortage of things to write about. The problem is narrowing it down to one particular topic at a time. This week is no exception, so I’ve decided to get several things off my chest at once.
I’m still steaming about the childish attack on our newspaper by talk show hosts, Raubin and Megan a couple of week ago. Just who do they think they are, and why is the management of this station okay with these kinds of unwarranted attacks on local business’s in the area? Maybe I’m missing something.
I’m very troubled that our Legislature has apparently decided not to pursue a resolution compelling our newly elected Attorney General to re-file charges against George Tiller. Mr. Neufeld, the ball is in your court. If he’s innocent, it should be easy to prove in court.
The fact that we could only manage a miserable 16% voter turnout in our recent local elections bothers me. While I’m on the subject, I find it interesting that most local elections are designed to be non-partisan, forcing a candidate to run on their own merits and not be beholding to any particular political party. What a wonderful idea, and if there is any other office that should be required to follow suit it would have to be the office of the Attorney General. Justice is supposed to be blind and shouldn’t follow party lines. Paul Morrison’s recent statement that he wouldn’t be pressured by a bunch of social conservatives (Republicans) to file charges against Tiller proves my point.
How about Nancy Pelosi and her trip to Syria? I’m no expert, but since when is it the Speaker of the House’s job to set foreign policy? And since when does The United States have a dual foreign policy? Like it or not, this is the President’s job and we elected him.
I just love how Congress has shown their support for our troops. They’ve sent Bush a war funding bill that requires a set date for troop withdrawal and is tied to 24 billion in pork-barrel spending. Bush has rightly said he’d veto it. Democrat Harry Reid has threatened to introduce a bill to entirely cut off funding the war. Do it Harry, show the American people who you really are. Either put up or shut up, and I can hardly wait to see how Nancy Boyda will vote on this one.
In the 70’s global-cooling was going to kill us all. Today it’s global-warming that’s going to kill us. The Democrats have seized on this hysteria and are telling us they’re the ones that will save the planet. Give me a break.
The fact that people even listen to people like Al Gore and John Travolta really bothers me. They use more energy and contribute more pollution than almost anyone else, but because they buy carbon credits it’s okay. It’s like going on a diet. Yeah, give me four double cheeseburgers, two large orders of onion rings, and a “diet” soda. It just doesn’t work.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
We Suck
It’s official, we suck. At least that’s the opinion of two of our local talk show hosts. Before I go running my mouth, I guess I should tell you that this is my opinion and not necessarily the opinion of the Topeka Metro News. I’ve always wanted to say that.
It appears a fifth grader with a crayon could do a better job of creating a web-site. Well send them down, we could use the help. I loved the part about Topeka West High School’s paper having a bigger circulation than the Metro. I don’t know about the circulation part, but I do know they have an excellent High School Newspaper. Their controversial story on underage drinking was very well done. Good job kids, this experience will serve you well.
There were circulation comparisons to local community newsletters and questions about whether or not we even had a “letters to the editor” section. I’m pretty sure these talk show hosts remember the letter published in The Metro from Topeka police officer Kenny Eaton concerning Glenda Overstreet and the controversy it generated. Boy howdy, that was a good time for us hillbilly’s down here at the Metro.
I’m not sure just how bad we suck though, and I’m not sure exactly what it is we suck at. I suppose if we’re judged by our numbers, you know, if you compare our 12,000 to 15,000 weekly circulation to that of the Topeka Capital-Journal or the Kansas City-Star, I suppose we do suck. But if we were compared to other locally owned and operated, weekly newspapers across the state, I think we’d do just fine. Sure, I’ll admit the antique, hand operated presses are hard to operate and it gets very hot, but Denise has agreed to get us new fans for the press room this summer.
If you judge our content to that of other weekly papers, I think you’d find we’re pretty close to the top of the heap. My favorite part of the Metro has always been the columnists, there’s something for everyone. Okay, maybe my column sucks, but my Mom likes it and that’s good enough for me. Believe it or not, there are people who look forward to Metro Friday. I suppose it’s possible some of them use it to line the bottoms of their bird cages. But I just have to believe some of them read it first, and I doubt they all think we suck. I don’t think the City of Topeka or Shawnee County believe we suck, and I doubt our advertisers believe we suck, otherwise they’d spend their advertising dollars elsewhere.
If we suck because of our circulation numbers. It only seems fair to judge their talk show by the same standards. How many people are actually listening to them? Compared to talk shows like Rush Limbaugh they fall way short. If you compare their content and quality to that of other local talk shows like Steve Forman‘s, “The Wake Up Call” or “The Jim Cates Show” they still fall short. But that’s just my opinion.
Here’s the deal Raubin and Megan, I have no idea what prompted your childish attack, and it really doesn‘t matter. What matters here, is that the two of you realize your opinion isn’t nearly as important as you‘d like to think. The Topeka Metro News was here long before the two of you came along, and will be here long after you’re gone. You can count on it. But what do I know, I’m just an old guy.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
It appears a fifth grader with a crayon could do a better job of creating a web-site. Well send them down, we could use the help. I loved the part about Topeka West High School’s paper having a bigger circulation than the Metro. I don’t know about the circulation part, but I do know they have an excellent High School Newspaper. Their controversial story on underage drinking was very well done. Good job kids, this experience will serve you well.
There were circulation comparisons to local community newsletters and questions about whether or not we even had a “letters to the editor” section. I’m pretty sure these talk show hosts remember the letter published in The Metro from Topeka police officer Kenny Eaton concerning Glenda Overstreet and the controversy it generated. Boy howdy, that was a good time for us hillbilly’s down here at the Metro.
I’m not sure just how bad we suck though, and I’m not sure exactly what it is we suck at. I suppose if we’re judged by our numbers, you know, if you compare our 12,000 to 15,000 weekly circulation to that of the Topeka Capital-Journal or the Kansas City-Star, I suppose we do suck. But if we were compared to other locally owned and operated, weekly newspapers across the state, I think we’d do just fine. Sure, I’ll admit the antique, hand operated presses are hard to operate and it gets very hot, but Denise has agreed to get us new fans for the press room this summer.
If you judge our content to that of other weekly papers, I think you’d find we’re pretty close to the top of the heap. My favorite part of the Metro has always been the columnists, there’s something for everyone. Okay, maybe my column sucks, but my Mom likes it and that’s good enough for me. Believe it or not, there are people who look forward to Metro Friday. I suppose it’s possible some of them use it to line the bottoms of their bird cages. But I just have to believe some of them read it first, and I doubt they all think we suck. I don’t think the City of Topeka or Shawnee County believe we suck, and I doubt our advertisers believe we suck, otherwise they’d spend their advertising dollars elsewhere.
If we suck because of our circulation numbers. It only seems fair to judge their talk show by the same standards. How many people are actually listening to them? Compared to talk shows like Rush Limbaugh they fall way short. If you compare their content and quality to that of other local talk shows like Steve Forman‘s, “The Wake Up Call” or “The Jim Cates Show” they still fall short. But that’s just my opinion.
Here’s the deal Raubin and Megan, I have no idea what prompted your childish attack, and it really doesn‘t matter. What matters here, is that the two of you realize your opinion isn’t nearly as important as you‘d like to think. The Topeka Metro News was here long before the two of you came along, and will be here long after you’re gone. You can count on it. But what do I know, I’m just an old guy.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Nutbags
I just love being an American. We live in a country where you can do or say pretty much anything you want and you’re almost guaranteed to have an audience. Take the 9-11 conspiracy theorists for example. They’d have us believe that President Bush personally planned and executed the biggest terrorist attack the world has ever seen. Never mind that such a plan would have required the cooperation and silence of literally thousands of people. And never mind that these same people think Bush is the most incompetent person ever born, they still believe he pulled it off.
Some believe the planes that hit the towers of the World Trade Center were actually military planes loaded with explosives. They also believe the U.S. military cut the steel support columns of the twin towers as well as tower #7, then wired the buildings with explosives and that this is what actually brought the buildings down. They also claim the U.S. Air Force was ordered by Bush to stand down while his attack was taking place. There are claims of seismic spikes just before the attacks took place proving the explosive theory.
There are people out there who really believe Bush ordered the Air Force to attack the Pentagon. This amounts to an attack by the U.S. military against the U.S. military. Hopefully I’m not the only one that finds this a little hard to believe.
Let’s not forget flight 93 that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. They believe all passengers from the other three flights were actually kidnapped and forced onto this plane then taken down by a missile assuring their silence. Their proof is that engine parts were found three hundred yards from the crash site. Personally, I tend to think that parts from a plane slamming into the ground at 500 mph might tend to scatter, but that’s just my opinion.
On October 13th of last year Bill O’reilly had a guy on his show by the name of Jim Fetzer. He was one of the conspiracy theorists who had all the proof. When asked by O’reilly why he was having trouble getting the media to listen to him he said it was because the press and media in general were controlled by the government. I can’t imagine the “Bush hating,” New York Times turning down a story like this.
Then we have our brave, patriotic, Hollywood stars like Charlie Sheen. I hear he’s doing a new documentary named “Loose Change.” Actually it’s a new version of an old documentary, maybe it’s more convincing the second time around. Mr. Sheen is going to prove to the world once and for all that our President is a mass murderer. Now that‘s something to hang your hat on.
I’m sure Mr. Sheen is just being patriotic. Surely he wouldn’t be trying to make a few bucks on this project. And it’s probably just a coincidence that Al Gore just won an Oscar and made a few million with his end of the world Global-Warming documentary. I can hardly wait to see what Hollywood comes up with next.
It’s amazing how the U.S. Military, F.B.I., C.I.A., the 9-11 commission, the Democrats, and every major news organization in the world missed this part of the story. I guess they’re just not as smart as our Hollywood actors.
Yeah, I just love being an American where people like me can say people like this are “Nut Bags”
and this old guy will just leave it at that. Have a good day.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Some believe the planes that hit the towers of the World Trade Center were actually military planes loaded with explosives. They also believe the U.S. military cut the steel support columns of the twin towers as well as tower #7, then wired the buildings with explosives and that this is what actually brought the buildings down. They also claim the U.S. Air Force was ordered by Bush to stand down while his attack was taking place. There are claims of seismic spikes just before the attacks took place proving the explosive theory.
There are people out there who really believe Bush ordered the Air Force to attack the Pentagon. This amounts to an attack by the U.S. military against the U.S. military. Hopefully I’m not the only one that finds this a little hard to believe.
Let’s not forget flight 93 that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. They believe all passengers from the other three flights were actually kidnapped and forced onto this plane then taken down by a missile assuring their silence. Their proof is that engine parts were found three hundred yards from the crash site. Personally, I tend to think that parts from a plane slamming into the ground at 500 mph might tend to scatter, but that’s just my opinion.
On October 13th of last year Bill O’reilly had a guy on his show by the name of Jim Fetzer. He was one of the conspiracy theorists who had all the proof. When asked by O’reilly why he was having trouble getting the media to listen to him he said it was because the press and media in general were controlled by the government. I can’t imagine the “Bush hating,” New York Times turning down a story like this.
Then we have our brave, patriotic, Hollywood stars like Charlie Sheen. I hear he’s doing a new documentary named “Loose Change.” Actually it’s a new version of an old documentary, maybe it’s more convincing the second time around. Mr. Sheen is going to prove to the world once and for all that our President is a mass murderer. Now that‘s something to hang your hat on.
I’m sure Mr. Sheen is just being patriotic. Surely he wouldn’t be trying to make a few bucks on this project. And it’s probably just a coincidence that Al Gore just won an Oscar and made a few million with his end of the world Global-Warming documentary. I can hardly wait to see what Hollywood comes up with next.
It’s amazing how the U.S. Military, F.B.I., C.I.A., the 9-11 commission, the Democrats, and every major news organization in the world missed this part of the story. I guess they’re just not as smart as our Hollywood actors.
Yeah, I just love being an American where people like me can say people like this are “Nut Bags”
and this old guy will just leave it at that. Have a good day.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Follow The Money
Question: What person has had the biggest impact on Kansas politics in recent memory? Answer: George Tiller. At least that’s the answer according to my brother-in-law, Joe Ledbetter. I think he might be onto something here. At times it does appear the man is almost above the law. But then I‘ could be wrong. Critics claim Kline was just an over zealous, pro-life nut case who was out to get Tiller and your medical records. Kline claims he’d investigated Tiller for the last three years, built a case against him, presented it to two different Shawnee County Judges who agreed there was probable cause to believe crimes had been committed. Seemed like a legitimate case to some of the people I know.
According to a story that ran in the Lawrence Journal-World on Sept.6th of last year, Kline‘s opponent said he‘d end the investigation into the abortion clinics and use the resources elsewhere if elected. I remember the outrage over Kline using medical records in his investigation. We weren’t supposed to know that using medical records during investigations is routine. I remember all the television commercials followed by the mass mailings. All were well done, effective, and very expensive. Well Kline’s opponent won that election and I’ve heard rumors that Tiller might have had quite a bit of money in that advertising campaign. No, I’m not suggesting Tiller was trying to effect the elections. I’m simply saying it could look that way to some people. That’s all.
I remember Kline filing charges in Sedgwick County against Tiller, only to have them dropped the next day by the Sedgwick County D.A. on technical grounds over jurisdiction. I remember that a Sedgwick County judge upheld her decision a day later. I’m sure it was all legitimate but have you ever heard of the courts working so fast? This alone should raise a few eyebrows. Kline, who’s time in office was running out appointed a Special Prosecutor who filed the case with the Kansas Supreme Court. On his first day in office, our newly elected Attorney General fired the special prosecutor. In February he withdrew the case from the Supreme Court before they had ruled on it, effectively killing the case. Again, it’s not me. But I’ve talked to people who believe this sort of thing gives the impression that someone could be obstructing justice. I’ve tried to assure these people there’s no way that could happen. Not in Kansas anyway.
I’ve heard there’s a way the Legislature can pass a resolution forcing the Attorney General to prosecute this case. Either branch, The House or The Senate can pass it and they don’t need the approval of the Governor.
The issue isn’t necessarily pro-life vs. pro-choice anymore. It’s about whether or not our laws mean anything. Two different judges have found probable cause to believe 15 illegal, late-term abortions had been preformed on girls as young as 10 and 12 years old. If these allegations are true it means another child rapist has been allowed to cover up his crime.
What about it Legislator’s? You have it in your power to make this happen. Pass the “Tiller Resolution.” If he is on the up and up, and Kline was in fact just on a misguided witch hunt against Tiller it should be easy to prove in court. Then maybe some of the people I talk to would be satisfied knowing that justice was at least given a chance.
But what do I know, I’m just an old guy.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
According to a story that ran in the Lawrence Journal-World on Sept.6th of last year, Kline‘s opponent said he‘d end the investigation into the abortion clinics and use the resources elsewhere if elected. I remember the outrage over Kline using medical records in his investigation. We weren’t supposed to know that using medical records during investigations is routine. I remember all the television commercials followed by the mass mailings. All were well done, effective, and very expensive. Well Kline’s opponent won that election and I’ve heard rumors that Tiller might have had quite a bit of money in that advertising campaign. No, I’m not suggesting Tiller was trying to effect the elections. I’m simply saying it could look that way to some people. That’s all.
I remember Kline filing charges in Sedgwick County against Tiller, only to have them dropped the next day by the Sedgwick County D.A. on technical grounds over jurisdiction. I remember that a Sedgwick County judge upheld her decision a day later. I’m sure it was all legitimate but have you ever heard of the courts working so fast? This alone should raise a few eyebrows. Kline, who’s time in office was running out appointed a Special Prosecutor who filed the case with the Kansas Supreme Court. On his first day in office, our newly elected Attorney General fired the special prosecutor. In February he withdrew the case from the Supreme Court before they had ruled on it, effectively killing the case. Again, it’s not me. But I’ve talked to people who believe this sort of thing gives the impression that someone could be obstructing justice. I’ve tried to assure these people there’s no way that could happen. Not in Kansas anyway.
I’ve heard there’s a way the Legislature can pass a resolution forcing the Attorney General to prosecute this case. Either branch, The House or The Senate can pass it and they don’t need the approval of the Governor.
The issue isn’t necessarily pro-life vs. pro-choice anymore. It’s about whether or not our laws mean anything. Two different judges have found probable cause to believe 15 illegal, late-term abortions had been preformed on girls as young as 10 and 12 years old. If these allegations are true it means another child rapist has been allowed to cover up his crime.
What about it Legislator’s? You have it in your power to make this happen. Pass the “Tiller Resolution.” If he is on the up and up, and Kline was in fact just on a misguided witch hunt against Tiller it should be easy to prove in court. Then maybe some of the people I talk to would be satisfied knowing that justice was at least given a chance.
But what do I know, I’m just an old guy.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Monday, June 25, 2007
It's A Guy Thing
It’s funny how quickly things can change. Last week I was poking fun at the Global-Warming crowd. This week I’m recovering from Spinal-Surgery. Not exactly what I had in mind.
Like most guys, I like to think I’m in control of certain things in my life. And to lose control of simple things like using my left hand really sucked. Of course, I kept working with it thinking it would loosen up as the day went on. I started getting these weird electrical shocks and I started feeling numb over most of my body. My guy brain said I was probably just imagining things. I was having lunch the next day when my blood pressure shot through the roof. Finally giving in, I went to see a doctor to have it checked out. This visit prompted a journey through the world of Medical Care I didn‘t even know existed. Blood tests and an MRI ruled out a stroke, which is what I was worried about, but would never admit it. This prompted an appointment with a neurologist. This appointment led to two more MRI’s and a meeting with a Neuro-Surgeon on Thursday who recommended surgery early Friday morning. That’s impossible. Surely they could give me a shot, pat me on the butt and send me on my way, besides, I’m a guy and like all guys, I had work to do, and I’m way to busy. Then the Doctor started explaining the problem. He told me I had two bulging discs in my neck that were compressing my spinal cord by as much as 80% and if not corrected it could kill me. So much for being in control of things.
I checked into the Hospital at 7:30 Friday morning. I tried to get them to schedule things an hour or so later so I could catch the first hour of the Jim Cates Show, but they seemed pretty busy saving lives and all, so I didn’t push it. I was led to pre-op, where they drug you up and eventually send you and your bed on this really weird ride up and down a bunch of hallways to another room with bright lights. They roll you onto a table, someone gives you more drugs and that’s about it. The next thing I remembered was a nice woman telling me something about the surgery being over, and I’d have to calm down because of the stitches in my neck. Oh yeah, I also remember feeling like someone had parked a truck in my throat.
I guess it was about another hour later when they put me in another room for the night. I wish I could remember more about that part too. They tell me most of my family was there and I’m sure we had some brilliant conversations. Actually, I suspect a couple of them might have taken advantage of the situation and made me agree to something I’ll regret later.
The rest of the night was a blur, another nice lady and a man named James kept telling me to get some rest, but came in every 15 minutes or so to check on my vitals. They kept asking me how much pain I was in, and reminded me of the morphine trigger I had control over. That’s when I knew things were going to be okay. It wasn’t the morphine. It was the fact I had control over the trigger. Earlier in the day I couldn’t cover my own butt, now I controlled the trigger. Not bad.
This old guy is grateful to those who took control when I couldn‘t.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Like most guys, I like to think I’m in control of certain things in my life. And to lose control of simple things like using my left hand really sucked. Of course, I kept working with it thinking it would loosen up as the day went on. I started getting these weird electrical shocks and I started feeling numb over most of my body. My guy brain said I was probably just imagining things. I was having lunch the next day when my blood pressure shot through the roof. Finally giving in, I went to see a doctor to have it checked out. This visit prompted a journey through the world of Medical Care I didn‘t even know existed. Blood tests and an MRI ruled out a stroke, which is what I was worried about, but would never admit it. This prompted an appointment with a neurologist. This appointment led to two more MRI’s and a meeting with a Neuro-Surgeon on Thursday who recommended surgery early Friday morning. That’s impossible. Surely they could give me a shot, pat me on the butt and send me on my way, besides, I’m a guy and like all guys, I had work to do, and I’m way to busy. Then the Doctor started explaining the problem. He told me I had two bulging discs in my neck that were compressing my spinal cord by as much as 80% and if not corrected it could kill me. So much for being in control of things.
I checked into the Hospital at 7:30 Friday morning. I tried to get them to schedule things an hour or so later so I could catch the first hour of the Jim Cates Show, but they seemed pretty busy saving lives and all, so I didn’t push it. I was led to pre-op, where they drug you up and eventually send you and your bed on this really weird ride up and down a bunch of hallways to another room with bright lights. They roll you onto a table, someone gives you more drugs and that’s about it. The next thing I remembered was a nice woman telling me something about the surgery being over, and I’d have to calm down because of the stitches in my neck. Oh yeah, I also remember feeling like someone had parked a truck in my throat.
I guess it was about another hour later when they put me in another room for the night. I wish I could remember more about that part too. They tell me most of my family was there and I’m sure we had some brilliant conversations. Actually, I suspect a couple of them might have taken advantage of the situation and made me agree to something I’ll regret later.
The rest of the night was a blur, another nice lady and a man named James kept telling me to get some rest, but came in every 15 minutes or so to check on my vitals. They kept asking me how much pain I was in, and reminded me of the morphine trigger I had control over. That’s when I knew things were going to be okay. It wasn’t the morphine. It was the fact I had control over the trigger. Earlier in the day I couldn’t cover my own butt, now I controlled the trigger. Not bad.
This old guy is grateful to those who took control when I couldn‘t.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Global Something
I remember being told the world was coming to an end back in the 70’s. Global Cooling. Yep, we were all going to freeze to death. No doubt about it.
Time Magazine warned of this on June 24th, 1974 with it’s cover story titled “Another Ice Age?” Meteorologists had determined the average global temperature had been gradually cooling for the last three decades. Climatologists warned us about an impending ice age, the telltale signs were everywhere. There was the unexpected persistence and thickness of pack ice surrounding Iceland. Ice in the Northern Hemisphere had grown 12% since 1971 and had persisted ever since. Areas of the Canadian Arctic, once free from snow in the summer, were now covered year round. There was talk of food shortages and mass starvation. University Climatologist Kenneth Hare gave the world this dire warning. The world’s population won’t be sustainable if there are three 1972’s in a row. This was pretty scary stuff. I was pretty sure we were all doomed, and half expected to see the return of the Wooly Mammoth. That never happened, but would’ve been cool.
The 70’s gave way to the 80’s then the 90’s, eventually we entered a new century. Still no Ice Age. The doom and gloom, end of the world crowd was starting to look a little foolish. They had to do something quick, they needed a new strategy. No problem.
Welcome to the new politically charged, money making, end of the world strategy. Global Warming. Once again Time Magazine is at the forefront of this latest effort. In March of last year their cover story was titled “Be Worried, Be Very Worried.” Some of you might remember it. They had a picture of this poor, helpless polar bear floating on a piece of melting ice. We were supposed to believe this polar bear was trapped on this piece of ice floating out to the open sea to it’s death. I guess we weren’t supposed to know that polar bears are excellent swimmers and they’ve been swimming and floating around on broken pieces of ice in search of food for as long as they’ve been around. But why let silly facts get in the way of a good story.
Global Warming is the same as Global Cooling, only different. The world is still going to end, we’re all still doomed. Instead of freezing to death, we’re going to have worldwide drought which will halt food production which will starve us to death. Different strategy, same result. We all die.
How about our buddy Al (the bore) Gore, the High Priest of the Global Warming movement. You’ve probably heard of him, he’s the guy who never quite got over losing the Presidency to George Bush a few years back. He paid attention to all this hype and decided to make a documentary to prove to the world that the doom and gloom crowd had it right this time. He won an Oscar and made millions to boot. Not bad. Wish I’d have thought of it first.
I’ve always wondered how we went from Global Cooling to Global Warming so I did a little googling over the weekend and there it was, two reports that explained it all. “Global Cooling Causes Global Warming.” And another one that claimed “Global Warming Causes Global Cooling. Imagine that.
Sorry, but this old guy thinks life’s to short for all this nonsense. Remember to hug your kids.
You can reach Kevin McGinty at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Time Magazine warned of this on June 24th, 1974 with it’s cover story titled “Another Ice Age?” Meteorologists had determined the average global temperature had been gradually cooling for the last three decades. Climatologists warned us about an impending ice age, the telltale signs were everywhere. There was the unexpected persistence and thickness of pack ice surrounding Iceland. Ice in the Northern Hemisphere had grown 12% since 1971 and had persisted ever since. Areas of the Canadian Arctic, once free from snow in the summer, were now covered year round. There was talk of food shortages and mass starvation. University Climatologist Kenneth Hare gave the world this dire warning. The world’s population won’t be sustainable if there are three 1972’s in a row. This was pretty scary stuff. I was pretty sure we were all doomed, and half expected to see the return of the Wooly Mammoth. That never happened, but would’ve been cool.
The 70’s gave way to the 80’s then the 90’s, eventually we entered a new century. Still no Ice Age. The doom and gloom, end of the world crowd was starting to look a little foolish. They had to do something quick, they needed a new strategy. No problem.
Welcome to the new politically charged, money making, end of the world strategy. Global Warming. Once again Time Magazine is at the forefront of this latest effort. In March of last year their cover story was titled “Be Worried, Be Very Worried.” Some of you might remember it. They had a picture of this poor, helpless polar bear floating on a piece of melting ice. We were supposed to believe this polar bear was trapped on this piece of ice floating out to the open sea to it’s death. I guess we weren’t supposed to know that polar bears are excellent swimmers and they’ve been swimming and floating around on broken pieces of ice in search of food for as long as they’ve been around. But why let silly facts get in the way of a good story.
Global Warming is the same as Global Cooling, only different. The world is still going to end, we’re all still doomed. Instead of freezing to death, we’re going to have worldwide drought which will halt food production which will starve us to death. Different strategy, same result. We all die.
How about our buddy Al (the bore) Gore, the High Priest of the Global Warming movement. You’ve probably heard of him, he’s the guy who never quite got over losing the Presidency to George Bush a few years back. He paid attention to all this hype and decided to make a documentary to prove to the world that the doom and gloom crowd had it right this time. He won an Oscar and made millions to boot. Not bad. Wish I’d have thought of it first.
I’ve always wondered how we went from Global Cooling to Global Warming so I did a little googling over the weekend and there it was, two reports that explained it all. “Global Cooling Causes Global Warming.” And another one that claimed “Global Warming Causes Global Cooling. Imagine that.
Sorry, but this old guy thinks life’s to short for all this nonsense. Remember to hug your kids.
You can reach Kevin McGinty at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Coming Out Of The Closet
Okay, I admit it. I’ve been living a lie, call it a dirty little secret if you will. But it’s time I finally came out of the closet. I just hope once I do, we can still be friends. We’ll see.
No, I’m not coming out to say I’m gay. I’m not a secret, closet liberal or anything like that. I’m not jumping onto the global-warming bandwagon. I’m not hooked on drugs and I don’t drink. I don’t hit my wife. I’d like to sometimes, but I’m scared of her. But that’s another story, and I’m going to try to stay focused on what I have to tell you here today.
It all started about 30 years ago. I was working at the old “Myron Greens” cafeteria downtown. I’d been there a few months when they hired this short, good looking blonde. It turned out she was the little sister of one of my co-workers. Cool, this was going to be my ticket to getting a date with her. Then I realized something else. If he was her brother, that meant his mother, who also worked there was probably her mother too. This was going to be harder than I thought and I’d have to be proceed with caution.
I finally got the nerve to ask her out, and somewhere in the process I think I was able to win her mother over and I was already friends with her brother. What could go wrong? The longer we dated the more of her family I had to, I mean, I got to meet. Her dad didn’t exactly welcome me with open arms but he never threw me out of his house either. I took this as a positive sign. I met her two sisters, and grandparents. Yes, things were working out fine. Then I learned she had another brother I hadn’t met yet. He turned out to be a Marine and I soon learned once you’re a Marine, you’re always a Marine. I also learned if you’re trying to mess around with a Marine’s little sister, you had to be careful. Yes, he was going to be a challenge.
Eventually, I married that short, good looking blonde. It wasn’t long before I realized my new brother-in-law was the most opinionated, stubborn person in the world. Needless to say, family gatherings have never been dull. Conversations almost always lead to politics, and usually ends up as what we like to refer to as a rather heated debate. I guess calling it a debate instead of a brawl helps us sleep better at night. Whatever works.
Over the years I’ve learned a Marine brother-in-law can be the biggest pain in the butt a guy can have. Or in his own words, your worst nightmare. During that same time, there have been plenty of times I’ve found out a Marine brother-in-law can be your best ally too. I guess things have a way of balancing out if given enough time.
In a way, it would be easier to tell you I’m gay or that I had actually embraced global warming. I even wish it was something simple like drug or alcohol addiction. I could check myself into rehab two or three times a week. That seems to be popular nowadays. No, what I have to tell you is much different than any of these things. Okay, here goes. Just remember, my hope is that we can still be friends. Joe Ledbetter is my brother-in-law. There, I said it and I feel better. Well, sort of.
You can bet this old guy will be in plenty of trouble this week. Anyone want to fill in for me at our next family gathering?
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
No, I’m not coming out to say I’m gay. I’m not a secret, closet liberal or anything like that. I’m not jumping onto the global-warming bandwagon. I’m not hooked on drugs and I don’t drink. I don’t hit my wife. I’d like to sometimes, but I’m scared of her. But that’s another story, and I’m going to try to stay focused on what I have to tell you here today.
It all started about 30 years ago. I was working at the old “Myron Greens” cafeteria downtown. I’d been there a few months when they hired this short, good looking blonde. It turned out she was the little sister of one of my co-workers. Cool, this was going to be my ticket to getting a date with her. Then I realized something else. If he was her brother, that meant his mother, who also worked there was probably her mother too. This was going to be harder than I thought and I’d have to be proceed with caution.
I finally got the nerve to ask her out, and somewhere in the process I think I was able to win her mother over and I was already friends with her brother. What could go wrong? The longer we dated the more of her family I had to, I mean, I got to meet. Her dad didn’t exactly welcome me with open arms but he never threw me out of his house either. I took this as a positive sign. I met her two sisters, and grandparents. Yes, things were working out fine. Then I learned she had another brother I hadn’t met yet. He turned out to be a Marine and I soon learned once you’re a Marine, you’re always a Marine. I also learned if you’re trying to mess around with a Marine’s little sister, you had to be careful. Yes, he was going to be a challenge.
Eventually, I married that short, good looking blonde. It wasn’t long before I realized my new brother-in-law was the most opinionated, stubborn person in the world. Needless to say, family gatherings have never been dull. Conversations almost always lead to politics, and usually ends up as what we like to refer to as a rather heated debate. I guess calling it a debate instead of a brawl helps us sleep better at night. Whatever works.
Over the years I’ve learned a Marine brother-in-law can be the biggest pain in the butt a guy can have. Or in his own words, your worst nightmare. During that same time, there have been plenty of times I’ve found out a Marine brother-in-law can be your best ally too. I guess things have a way of balancing out if given enough time.
In a way, it would be easier to tell you I’m gay or that I had actually embraced global warming. I even wish it was something simple like drug or alcohol addiction. I could check myself into rehab two or three times a week. That seems to be popular nowadays. No, what I have to tell you is much different than any of these things. Okay, here goes. Just remember, my hope is that we can still be friends. Joe Ledbetter is my brother-in-law. There, I said it and I feel better. Well, sort of.
You can bet this old guy will be in plenty of trouble this week. Anyone want to fill in for me at our next family gathering?
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
They're Watching Us
My wife and I just love to check out web cams on the internet. We have our favorites. Cripple Creek Colorado, we try to get out there every summer. Pretty cool. There’s the Times Square cam. You can watch real time video. Yeah, that’s pretty cool too. We’ve watched drunks being arrested in New Orleans. The best one though had to be the time we saw this guy in Nashville picking his underwear out of his butt. That really cracked me up (pun intended). There he was, taking care of business and here we were, a thousand miles away watching him. Yeah, that’s pretty cool stuff.
We’ve watched people in every major city in the world, at least the one’s we could think of. After awhile we did a quick Google search for web cams. Bam! 55 million sights. This has to be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. We were literally able to watch people almost anywhere in the world.
After awhile it started creeping me out though. We were just watching them but it started to feel a little like spying. My wife says I’m over-reacting. Maybe, and yes, I know some of the people knew about a particular web cam and were actually waving at it. But take the guy pulling his underwear out of his butt. I really don’t think he had any idea we were watching him.
I do a lot of traveling around town on a daily basis, and yesterday was no different except I kept thinking about those 55 million web cams. I realized, maybe I wasn’t the only one who knew about them. That’s when I started wondering, who’s watching me. Or, how many people are watching all of us?
I know I’m probably over-reacting, but I pulled up to an ATM and saw five different security cameras. I headed to the local convenience store where I noticed four cameras recording my every move. I had to stop by one of our big retail stores on 37th street. Just on the front of the store I counted 16 cameras, I figured I might as well drive around the whole building. There were 22 in all, and this is just the outside of the building. If you’ll look up at the ceiling, you’ll notice all the smoke colored, bubble shaped panels. You guessed it, cameras. I lost count, but there were somewhere around 130 of them. Go to any casino. I’m guessing here, but I’d bet there will be no less than 500.
New cars offer this really cool feature called On-Star. I suppose it could come in handy if you had some kind of an emergency I guess. But it’s a little creepy knowing someone could find out where you are anytime they wanted. How about those satellites circling the earth 24 hours a day. I hear they can zoom down and pick up a license plate anytime they wanted. They’re implanting chips in our pets just in case they get lost. Pretty cool, but how long will it be before they start offering the same service for our children? I agree this could be a huge benefit should they ever become lost or something. But at what age will it be removed? Will it be removed at all? Has paranoia finally set it in? Probably.
It seems to me we’ve accepted, maybe even embraced the idea that business’s have the right to monitor our every move to protect their investment. We have no problem with the idea of someone like my wife and I doing it for kicks. We like the idea that someone can track our cars and pets anytime they want. But let Bush try to intercept a phone call from a potential terrorist who wants to kill us, and all hell breaks loose. Yeah, makes sense to me.
No, I’m not paranoid. I’m just an old guy who knows he‘s being watched. Have a good week.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
We’ve watched people in every major city in the world, at least the one’s we could think of. After awhile we did a quick Google search for web cams. Bam! 55 million sights. This has to be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. We were literally able to watch people almost anywhere in the world.
After awhile it started creeping me out though. We were just watching them but it started to feel a little like spying. My wife says I’m over-reacting. Maybe, and yes, I know some of the people knew about a particular web cam and were actually waving at it. But take the guy pulling his underwear out of his butt. I really don’t think he had any idea we were watching him.
I do a lot of traveling around town on a daily basis, and yesterday was no different except I kept thinking about those 55 million web cams. I realized, maybe I wasn’t the only one who knew about them. That’s when I started wondering, who’s watching me. Or, how many people are watching all of us?
I know I’m probably over-reacting, but I pulled up to an ATM and saw five different security cameras. I headed to the local convenience store where I noticed four cameras recording my every move. I had to stop by one of our big retail stores on 37th street. Just on the front of the store I counted 16 cameras, I figured I might as well drive around the whole building. There were 22 in all, and this is just the outside of the building. If you’ll look up at the ceiling, you’ll notice all the smoke colored, bubble shaped panels. You guessed it, cameras. I lost count, but there were somewhere around 130 of them. Go to any casino. I’m guessing here, but I’d bet there will be no less than 500.
New cars offer this really cool feature called On-Star. I suppose it could come in handy if you had some kind of an emergency I guess. But it’s a little creepy knowing someone could find out where you are anytime they wanted. How about those satellites circling the earth 24 hours a day. I hear they can zoom down and pick up a license plate anytime they wanted. They’re implanting chips in our pets just in case they get lost. Pretty cool, but how long will it be before they start offering the same service for our children? I agree this could be a huge benefit should they ever become lost or something. But at what age will it be removed? Will it be removed at all? Has paranoia finally set it in? Probably.
It seems to me we’ve accepted, maybe even embraced the idea that business’s have the right to monitor our every move to protect their investment. We have no problem with the idea of someone like my wife and I doing it for kicks. We like the idea that someone can track our cars and pets anytime they want. But let Bush try to intercept a phone call from a potential terrorist who wants to kill us, and all hell breaks loose. Yeah, makes sense to me.
No, I’m not paranoid. I’m just an old guy who knows he‘s being watched. Have a good week.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Yeah, They Have It Made Alright
Last week I talked about kids having it made today. You’d think so with all the politicians falling all over themselves trying to pass laws to protect them. Right here in Kansas they’re trying to outlaw smoking in a vehicle with kids in it. Good idea, but do we really need the Government dictating things like this? Out in California they’re trying to outlaw spanking your kids, and in Texas they’re pushing a bill making it illegal to miss a parent-teacher conference. Yeah, I know it’s for the children. Or is it? Could it be that the children are being used as pawns to make a few politicians look good at election time. Surely not. It’s probably just me being cynical. We all know people wouldn’t intentionally take advantage of a child. Yeah right, there have been a couple of stories in the news lately that have really bothered me.
The first story involves a gay man who donated his sperm to a straight woman for the sole purpose of having a child. It turns out she had twins. He claims she agreed to let him be an active father figure. She’s denying it. He’s taken his case all the way to the Kansas Supreme Court. If he doesn’t like their decision, he’s vowed the next step will be the United States Supreme Court. He’s demanding his rights. She’s demanding hers. I haven’t heard a single word about the kids having the right not to have their lives drug through the courts. How about their right to live a normal life. I know I’m just an old guy, and it’s none of my business, but why would you bring a child into a situation like this in the first place? You’re certainly not doing the kids any favors. At best they’ll be raised in another dysfunctional family, and I’m not even talking about the man being gay. That’s another story for another time.
Then there’s the tragic story about Anna Nicole Smith. Like everyone I was saddened by the news of her death. What exactly was she so famous for? Oh yeah, partying, posing nude and sleeping with all the rich men she could find. Yeah, what a role model. What kind of a life did she provide for her kids? Well, her 20-year old son died of a drug overdose a few months ago. It’s too late for him. But what kind of a chance do you think her newborn baby has at leading a normal life? Scumbags are crawling out of the woodwork like cockroaches to lay claim the her lottery baby. The winner of this prize stands to win somewhere around half a billion dollars. I’m sure they’re only thinking of the baby, the money has nothing to do with it.
One of the main problems we have in our country today is, too many kids are growing up without a dad. Too many are growing up not even knowing who their dad is. Too many are running around doing anything they want with no one there to give them that swat on the butt to keep them on the right track. There are far too many dad’s out there who’ve run out on their kids. Too many people out there like Anna Nicole Smith having sex with so many different men, they’re not really sure who the father of their kids are.
So lawmakers, you want to save the children. How about outlawing people bringing kids into situations like this in the first place. How about outlawing immoral behavior, and just being a bad parent all together. But since there’s no potential for additional votes with this, I won’t hold my breath.
Or how about this idea. How about just doing right by our kids. It’s not really all that hard. Yeah, kids really have it made today.
Maybe I’ll be in a better mood next week.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
The first story involves a gay man who donated his sperm to a straight woman for the sole purpose of having a child. It turns out she had twins. He claims she agreed to let him be an active father figure. She’s denying it. He’s taken his case all the way to the Kansas Supreme Court. If he doesn’t like their decision, he’s vowed the next step will be the United States Supreme Court. He’s demanding his rights. She’s demanding hers. I haven’t heard a single word about the kids having the right not to have their lives drug through the courts. How about their right to live a normal life. I know I’m just an old guy, and it’s none of my business, but why would you bring a child into a situation like this in the first place? You’re certainly not doing the kids any favors. At best they’ll be raised in another dysfunctional family, and I’m not even talking about the man being gay. That’s another story for another time.
Then there’s the tragic story about Anna Nicole Smith. Like everyone I was saddened by the news of her death. What exactly was she so famous for? Oh yeah, partying, posing nude and sleeping with all the rich men she could find. Yeah, what a role model. What kind of a life did she provide for her kids? Well, her 20-year old son died of a drug overdose a few months ago. It’s too late for him. But what kind of a chance do you think her newborn baby has at leading a normal life? Scumbags are crawling out of the woodwork like cockroaches to lay claim the her lottery baby. The winner of this prize stands to win somewhere around half a billion dollars. I’m sure they’re only thinking of the baby, the money has nothing to do with it.
One of the main problems we have in our country today is, too many kids are growing up without a dad. Too many are growing up not even knowing who their dad is. Too many are running around doing anything they want with no one there to give them that swat on the butt to keep them on the right track. There are far too many dad’s out there who’ve run out on their kids. Too many people out there like Anna Nicole Smith having sex with so many different men, they’re not really sure who the father of their kids are.
So lawmakers, you want to save the children. How about outlawing people bringing kids into situations like this in the first place. How about outlawing immoral behavior, and just being a bad parent all together. But since there’s no potential for additional votes with this, I won’t hold my breath.
Or how about this idea. How about just doing right by our kids. It’s not really all that hard. Yeah, kids really have it made today.
Maybe I’ll be in a better mood next week.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Kids Have It Made Today
It’s funny how different things are today than when I was a kid. I was eating lunch a one of our local diners a couple of days ago, when this little boy, I’m going to guess he was about 4-years-old, started throwing a fit, you know, squirming around, not eating, that sort of thing. The mother was doing her best to get him to behave. She tried reasoning with him. He told her to shut-up. She tried the time out thing. He started screaming, and even tried to bite her. Needless to say, her methods weren’t all that successful, and her lunch was shot. I thought about asking her if I could have the kid’s coke, but she didn’t appear to be in a particularly generous mood.
Kids have it made today. A long time ago I could’ve been this same little kid. The only difference is my dad wasn’t all that good at reasoning, and he wasn’t particularly interested in my feelings. And his methods were a little different. He’d say something like, sit there, eat your food, and shut-up. Sometimes this worked, sometimes it didn’t. He’d probably go through it the second time, only it would end with a promise of yanking me out of my chair and beating my butt right where I stood. If this second and last threat didn’t get the immediate results he was looking for, he’d follow through with his promised beating of the butt right where I stood. It hurt like hell, embarrassed me, and probably damaged my self-esteem. But usually produced the results he was looking for. And if anyone’s lunch was ruined, it was mine.
You’d think other customers would have been outraged at such brutality. You’d think someone would call the police. And surely there’d be at least one lawyer who’d just recorded the whole thing on his cell phone slip the kid one of his business cards.
This is another example of how different things are today. Instead of the other customers being outraged by his actions. It was somewhat expected. While there were no standing ovations, there were looks of approval on their faces. In those days it was a dad’s job to make his kids behave, he wasn’t necessarily your friend. He was the dad. And being the dad, meant he was the boss. Period.
I still remember the day he taught me not to steal. The lesson involved a shoe store and a really cool, chrome plated, shoe horn. You see, school was about to start, I was going into the fourth grade. So my parents took us kids to town for new shoes.
That’s when I spotted them. Stacks of the coolest, chrome plated, shoe horns I’d ever seen. I asked my dad if I could have one. He said no, which is what I expected him to say. While the shoe salesman was busy with my brothers, I decided to stick that really cool, chrome plated, shoe horn in my pocket. Once the shoes were selected and paid for we went to the car for the trip home. I was in the clear.
Tucked safely in the back seat, I decided to show my brothers my cool shoe horn. That’s when it fell apart. I really wished someone had explained the concept of rear-view mirrors to me. I had no idea he could pull a car over to the side of the highway so fast. He yanked me out of the back seat, beat my butt good this time, threw me back in, turned the car around and headed back to town. Back to the shoe store. I had to tell the man I had stolen from him. There it was. That look again. The look of approval on his face. My dad had done his job.
Yeah, kids have it made today. But what do I know? I’m just an old guy.
Kevin McGinty can be reached by sending an email to: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net.
Kids have it made today. A long time ago I could’ve been this same little kid. The only difference is my dad wasn’t all that good at reasoning, and he wasn’t particularly interested in my feelings. And his methods were a little different. He’d say something like, sit there, eat your food, and shut-up. Sometimes this worked, sometimes it didn’t. He’d probably go through it the second time, only it would end with a promise of yanking me out of my chair and beating my butt right where I stood. If this second and last threat didn’t get the immediate results he was looking for, he’d follow through with his promised beating of the butt right where I stood. It hurt like hell, embarrassed me, and probably damaged my self-esteem. But usually produced the results he was looking for. And if anyone’s lunch was ruined, it was mine.
You’d think other customers would have been outraged at such brutality. You’d think someone would call the police. And surely there’d be at least one lawyer who’d just recorded the whole thing on his cell phone slip the kid one of his business cards.
This is another example of how different things are today. Instead of the other customers being outraged by his actions. It was somewhat expected. While there were no standing ovations, there were looks of approval on their faces. In those days it was a dad’s job to make his kids behave, he wasn’t necessarily your friend. He was the dad. And being the dad, meant he was the boss. Period.
I still remember the day he taught me not to steal. The lesson involved a shoe store and a really cool, chrome plated, shoe horn. You see, school was about to start, I was going into the fourth grade. So my parents took us kids to town for new shoes.
That’s when I spotted them. Stacks of the coolest, chrome plated, shoe horns I’d ever seen. I asked my dad if I could have one. He said no, which is what I expected him to say. While the shoe salesman was busy with my brothers, I decided to stick that really cool, chrome plated, shoe horn in my pocket. Once the shoes were selected and paid for we went to the car for the trip home. I was in the clear.
Tucked safely in the back seat, I decided to show my brothers my cool shoe horn. That’s when it fell apart. I really wished someone had explained the concept of rear-view mirrors to me. I had no idea he could pull a car over to the side of the highway so fast. He yanked me out of the back seat, beat my butt good this time, threw me back in, turned the car around and headed back to town. Back to the shoe store. I had to tell the man I had stolen from him. There it was. That look again. The look of approval on his face. My dad had done his job.
Yeah, kids have it made today. But what do I know? I’m just an old guy.
Kevin McGinty can be reached by sending an email to: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net.
Ramberg
I’d like Jim Ramberg’s family to know how sorry I am for their loss. I remember hearing my dad say things like, the older he got, the more funerals he had to go to. I’m starting to understand what he was talking about. Actually, I’m starting to understand a lot of things he used to say to me. I wish I’d told him that while I still had the chance. Funny how life works.
I’d also like to Jim’s family for sharing him with us. It takes a special person to make a difference in so many people’s lives. He was just that kind of person. If you don’t mind, I’d like to tell you a story about the impact he had on me.
You’d have to know me to understand my fascination with columnists. For years I read all the attack, counter-attack political columnists I could get my hands on. I loved that stuff. I was determined, this is what I wanted to do. About two years ago I discovered this great local newspaper called The Topeka Metro News. The only thing I knew about them was that they carried “Ann Coulter.” I was hooked. I love her “attack dog” style. That, and the fact that she’s hot. Another attack dog is Molly Ivins. I’ve hated almost everything she’s ever written, but loved her style. Yeah, this is what I wanted to do.
A couple of weeks later I started reading this guy I’d never heard of. His name was Jim Ramberg. The more I read his column the more I liked it. He didn’t call people names. He didn’t insult anyone. If he was hard on anyone it was himself. Yet I looked forward to his column every week. How could this be?
I guess I started studying his work. I didn’t learn till later he’d been at the Capital-Journal for years. I began searching their archives for some of his earlier work. What I learned was, you could be a decent guy and still be an effective writer.
I noticed the Metro didn’t run his column for two or three weeks, then there were a couple of weeks of “The Best Of Jim Ramberg.” I was pretty sure something was wrong, and started asking questions. All I could find out for sure was, Jim was facing a few health issues. I worried about him, and hoped he’d recover soon. I guess I wasn’t through with my studies.
I still remember Jim’s last column. He explained he’d been living on borrowed time for quite awhile, and that it would be one of his last columns. He talked about some of his regrets. And said a life without regrets would have been damn boring. I hoped for just one more column, just one more lesson. As it turned out, I’d already had my last lesson. Jim had taught me all he could.
I have no idea how long I’ll be allowed to write this column. But I do know, without people like Jim Ramberg’s influence I’d still be attacking people I disagreed with. I’d be calling them names. Yeah, I’d be like Ann Coulter. And I’d be writing somewhere else.
We’re all born, and we’re all going to die. That’s a given. It’s what you do in between that matters. I think we all want to do something to make a difference. It’s easy to make a difference within one’s own family or circle of friends. But it takes someone special to make a difference in someone’s life you’ve never met.
Thank you Jim. Thank you for sharing your life with us.
I’d also like to Jim’s family for sharing him with us. It takes a special person to make a difference in so many people’s lives. He was just that kind of person. If you don’t mind, I’d like to tell you a story about the impact he had on me.
You’d have to know me to understand my fascination with columnists. For years I read all the attack, counter-attack political columnists I could get my hands on. I loved that stuff. I was determined, this is what I wanted to do. About two years ago I discovered this great local newspaper called The Topeka Metro News. The only thing I knew about them was that they carried “Ann Coulter.” I was hooked. I love her “attack dog” style. That, and the fact that she’s hot. Another attack dog is Molly Ivins. I’ve hated almost everything she’s ever written, but loved her style. Yeah, this is what I wanted to do.
A couple of weeks later I started reading this guy I’d never heard of. His name was Jim Ramberg. The more I read his column the more I liked it. He didn’t call people names. He didn’t insult anyone. If he was hard on anyone it was himself. Yet I looked forward to his column every week. How could this be?
I guess I started studying his work. I didn’t learn till later he’d been at the Capital-Journal for years. I began searching their archives for some of his earlier work. What I learned was, you could be a decent guy and still be an effective writer.
I noticed the Metro didn’t run his column for two or three weeks, then there were a couple of weeks of “The Best Of Jim Ramberg.” I was pretty sure something was wrong, and started asking questions. All I could find out for sure was, Jim was facing a few health issues. I worried about him, and hoped he’d recover soon. I guess I wasn’t through with my studies.
I still remember Jim’s last column. He explained he’d been living on borrowed time for quite awhile, and that it would be one of his last columns. He talked about some of his regrets. And said a life without regrets would have been damn boring. I hoped for just one more column, just one more lesson. As it turned out, I’d already had my last lesson. Jim had taught me all he could.
I have no idea how long I’ll be allowed to write this column. But I do know, without people like Jim Ramberg’s influence I’d still be attacking people I disagreed with. I’d be calling them names. Yeah, I’d be like Ann Coulter. And I’d be writing somewhere else.
We’re all born, and we’re all going to die. That’s a given. It’s what you do in between that matters. I think we all want to do something to make a difference. It’s easy to make a difference within one’s own family or circle of friends. But it takes someone special to make a difference in someone’s life you’ve never met.
Thank you Jim. Thank you for sharing your life with us.
Marge
Last week I wrote about my conservative views, so it should come as no surprise that I would support “Jessica’s Law.” In a nutshell, the law requires anyone convicted of sexually assaulting any child under 14 years old to serve 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
I remember when this law was being introduced. One of the main arguments against it was that it could add up to 1,000 beds to our state prison system. Maybe I’m missing something here, but removing 1,000 perverts from the streets seems like a good thing. But I do understand it comes with a cost. If it means adding onto our existing prisons, or even building new prisons to remove these people from the streets, do it. If it means another tax increase, so be it.
Now this is where I’m going to go against my conservative views. And to think people call me a neo-con. What if we had a way to make room in our prison system without added expense? What if we had a way to do it and actually generate millions of dollars in new taxes in the process? Would you be willing to listen?
This isn’t exactly a new idea. And I won’t try to take credit for it, or the blame for it either. I just believe it‘s an idea worth considering. A few days ago a lady named Marge called into the Jim Cates Show. You just have to love Marge’s passion. Anyway she was saying it was time to put an end to this crazy, so called “war on drugs.” She talked about the hundreds of billions of dollars and the thousands of lives being lost in this decades old , failed attempt to stop the flow of illegal drugs coming into our country. At first I thought, what a stupid idea. But is it? Are we really gaining ground in this war? After a little Googling over the weekend, I’d have to say no.
I’m not suggesting we embrace the likes of Meth, Cocaine, Heroin, and so on. I’m simply saying maybe it’s time to legalize Marijuana. Yeah, I can hear it now. What a crazy idea. Why, we’d have chaos in the streets. Crime would be out of control. We’d have drug crazed maniacs everywhere. Sorry, but these conditions already exist.
Compare it to the dismal failure Prohibition of alcohol was in the 1920’s. Granted, the first couple of years after Prohibition became the law of the land, alcohol consumption did in fact drop. But by 1925, consumption had risen dramatically, especially among women and children. Why? Because it actually became easier to get. It’s the same with pot today.
Consider if you would, tobacco, (nicotine) it’s our most deadly drug. It’s estimated to be responsible for 390,000 deaths in the U.S. per year. Followed by alcohol, which is responsible for around 80,000 deaths per year. Both of these drugs are legal, and produce billions in taxes. Cocaine, heroin, and aspirin combined cause around 6,200 deaths per year. But get this, there has never been a single case of someone dying as a direct result of smoking pot. It simply isn’t toxic enough. So much for the argument that it’s a deadly drug.
Am I promoting drug use? Absolutely not. There are an estimated 30 to 40 million drug users in our country now. No promotion is necessary. Why not regulate it, sell it in liquor stores, and tax the hell out of it. It’s estimated there are 1.5 million people in our U.S. prison system. 60% of these are there for drug offenses. While it’s true, your typical pot head isn’t imprisoned. It’s the dealers they’re after. But, take away their customer base and the dealers go away.
I know this idea will never get off the ground. But I’d urge you to Google “war on drugs.” You’ll find somewhere around 180,000,000 different sites to check out. Just something to think about.
I guess if I had the choice between locking up a pot head or a child predator. The pot head would go on about his business. But hey, what do I know? I’m just an old guy.
I remember when this law was being introduced. One of the main arguments against it was that it could add up to 1,000 beds to our state prison system. Maybe I’m missing something here, but removing 1,000 perverts from the streets seems like a good thing. But I do understand it comes with a cost. If it means adding onto our existing prisons, or even building new prisons to remove these people from the streets, do it. If it means another tax increase, so be it.
Now this is where I’m going to go against my conservative views. And to think people call me a neo-con. What if we had a way to make room in our prison system without added expense? What if we had a way to do it and actually generate millions of dollars in new taxes in the process? Would you be willing to listen?
This isn’t exactly a new idea. And I won’t try to take credit for it, or the blame for it either. I just believe it‘s an idea worth considering. A few days ago a lady named Marge called into the Jim Cates Show. You just have to love Marge’s passion. Anyway she was saying it was time to put an end to this crazy, so called “war on drugs.” She talked about the hundreds of billions of dollars and the thousands of lives being lost in this decades old , failed attempt to stop the flow of illegal drugs coming into our country. At first I thought, what a stupid idea. But is it? Are we really gaining ground in this war? After a little Googling over the weekend, I’d have to say no.
I’m not suggesting we embrace the likes of Meth, Cocaine, Heroin, and so on. I’m simply saying maybe it’s time to legalize Marijuana. Yeah, I can hear it now. What a crazy idea. Why, we’d have chaos in the streets. Crime would be out of control. We’d have drug crazed maniacs everywhere. Sorry, but these conditions already exist.
Compare it to the dismal failure Prohibition of alcohol was in the 1920’s. Granted, the first couple of years after Prohibition became the law of the land, alcohol consumption did in fact drop. But by 1925, consumption had risen dramatically, especially among women and children. Why? Because it actually became easier to get. It’s the same with pot today.
Consider if you would, tobacco, (nicotine) it’s our most deadly drug. It’s estimated to be responsible for 390,000 deaths in the U.S. per year. Followed by alcohol, which is responsible for around 80,000 deaths per year. Both of these drugs are legal, and produce billions in taxes. Cocaine, heroin, and aspirin combined cause around 6,200 deaths per year. But get this, there has never been a single case of someone dying as a direct result of smoking pot. It simply isn’t toxic enough. So much for the argument that it’s a deadly drug.
Am I promoting drug use? Absolutely not. There are an estimated 30 to 40 million drug users in our country now. No promotion is necessary. Why not regulate it, sell it in liquor stores, and tax the hell out of it. It’s estimated there are 1.5 million people in our U.S. prison system. 60% of these are there for drug offenses. While it’s true, your typical pot head isn’t imprisoned. It’s the dealers they’re after. But, take away their customer base and the dealers go away.
I know this idea will never get off the ground. But I’d urge you to Google “war on drugs.” You’ll find somewhere around 180,000,000 different sites to check out. Just something to think about.
I guess if I had the choice between locking up a pot head or a child predator. The pot head would go on about his business. But hey, what do I know? I’m just an old guy.
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