Tell Us It Ain't So Jeff...

Question: What would you call a guy who wants to be the next mayor and issues a press release that he knows full well is full of misinformation, and misrepresentations?
A lot of people I know would probably come right out and say the guy’s a liar. I mean what the hell, if he’s putting forth information he knows isn’t true, what’s he doing? You make the call.
What would you call him if he’s issued this same press release that’s full of the same misinformation, the same misrepresentations, but he didn’t realize that because of the votes he made he now owns the issue he tried to raise in the first place. Call him what you want. Just don’t call him Mr. Mayor.
In case you haven’t figured out by now, I’m talking about our very own deputy mayor, Jeff Preisner and the press release he put out a few days ago claiming that current mayor, Bill Bunten personally hand picked like minded people to our library board in his successful attempt to push his own agenda. That may or may not be an exact quote but it’s close enough for me. You know the story so I’m not going to spend a lot of time boring you with the details.
What is it Jeff? Did you intentionally set out to mislead us? Or is it that you really, truly don’t understand that when you and the rest of the city council voted for and approved every library board appointee put forth by the mayor, you pretty much took ownership of the whole thing? Tell us it ain’t so Jeff. Please tell us you’re smarter than that.
But that’s really not it, is it Jeff? You knew damned good and well what you were doing. You knew the whole library thing was a hot button issue that’s still fresh in people’s minds. You knew you could use it as a wedge issue to keep people stirred up. Maybe you figured as long as you could keep people fighting with each other you might not have to spend so much time explaining your support of some very unpopular issues in recent years. I’m just guessing.
How about that helicopter vote Jeff. How’d that work out for you? Damn, you caught hell over that. Oh yeah, the whole software fiasco you voted for. Man, it had to be hard knowing you were voting against the will of the people. What’s next Jeff? How long before you drag out Phill Kline’s name. I mean what the hell, Bunten and Kline have both lived in Topeka, right? There’s your connection, run with it man.
Jeff, I think you really screwed up big time. I think you’re only listening to one side of the whole library issue. I think what you’re listening to is a small,very loud, and very angry, group of people. You know, the side that didn’t get their way. What you’re missing here is the fact that this small group of people don't necessarily speak for the majority of Topekans.
Personally, I’m not all that passionate about the library issue one way or the other. To me, it’s more of a standards issue. Maybe I’m wrong here but I really do believe that most people in Topeka really don’t want their kids exposed to the kind of books everyone’s fighting over. I also believe a lot of them think simply keeping them out of the reach children is just common sense.
You handle it however you want. Sure, you’ll have the support of the people who bought into your foolishness. But I doubt it’ll be enough to win an election with. Good luck with that.
Where am I wrong here? Let me know on the blog www.rm235.blogspot.com or e-mail me at www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net

This is the letter to the editor written by Mary Lou Schmidt I'm refering to...

Dear Editor:
Ashley Judd did an ad for Defenders for Wildlife showing a wolf being shot by a person in an airplane.
Sarah Palin stated that Defenders of Wildlife is an extreme fringe group just because they want to stop the senseless murder of wolves by humans using airplanes. This is a cowardly way to hunt just as fishing with dynamite is a cowardly way to fish.
Some think we should not blame Palin for the hunters being able to hunt this way because it was law when she became governor. Now that she is governor she could change the law but she won't. She is a proud member of the NRA and she appears to enjoy killing animals. Wolves have the right to survive and feed their young.
For those who support the delicate balance of nature please contribute to the Defenders of Wildlife 1130 17th St. NW Washington DC 20036-4604.
We have already lost too many species of mammals.
Mary Lou Schmidt

Dear Mary Lou...

And once again, Mary Lou Schmidt has spoken. I’m talking about her letter in the Metro News last week as she told us the heart-wrenching story about the out-of-control, slaughter of innocent wolves that Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin was more or less personally responsible for.
Mary Lou did acknowledge the fact that laws permitting hunting the wolf in Alaska were already in place when Palin took office. What she didn’t tell us is that these laws were in place “way” before Palin took office. But that fact doesn’t help her cause, so it was simply tossed aside.
Mary Lou, I wonder. Is this like the global warming debate, you know, settled and all?“ Or are you willing to consider the possibility of another point of view?
First off, I find it amusing that you and the group you’re supporting are suddenly referring to Sarah Palin as “Governor” instead of some “small town, hick mayor” in the middle of nowhere now that using her name actually benefits your cause. I know, you do what you gotta do to these days to raise money. And what better way is there than attaching Sarah Palin’s name into it.
Mary Lou, have you ever considered the consequences of allowing the wolf population to grow unchecked? As their numbers grow they will need to kill more and more caribou just to survive. Sooner or later the caribou population will diminish to the point where wolves start dying off by starvation or disease. No way, right?
I’m not trying to start a fight here today. But have you heard about the deer problem they’re having over towards Kansas City? Shawnee Mission Park covers about 1280 acres and straddles the cities of Shawnee and Lenexa, Kansas. For the last decade the deer population has been allowed to grow unchecked to the point the deer are beginning to starve to death and dying of disease brought on by the ticks that thrive on them. There has been at least one confirmed case of a woman coming down with Lyme disease because of these ticks. Not good.
Officials are finally coming to terms with the fact they’re going to have to do something to get the number of deer down. Some of these officials refer to the situation as “culling or thinning” the herd. Another one was more to the point . She asked why not tell it like it is. Because so many of these deer are in such bad shape all we can do now is kill the estimated 400 deer in Shawnee Mission Park and allow for a new generation of deer to repopulate the park at a sustainable level.
This whole thing should have been dealt with years ago. And had the right thing been done concerning wildlife population control back then it wouldn’t be an issue today.
Mary Lou, I wonder if you’re going to hold Kathleen Sebelius personally responsible for the slaughter that sooner or later this one’s going to be. I mean, why not, she’s the governor and could change these laws if she wanted to, right? I also wonder if she’s going to hold every governor in every state personally responsible for the wildlife population management laws that exist in every state. I would guess, probably not.
Mary Lou, I’m assuming you’re not a hunter. That much we have in common. I’ve just never had the desire to go out and kill something. I have an old rifle my grandpa gave me years ago but I haven’t even seen it in years. So, no I’m not a big gun person either.
But you know what? Just because you and I don’t like something doesn’t automatically make it wrong for the millions of people all across the world who enjoy the thrill of the hunt. They cherish the time it allows them to spend tromping through the woods with family and friends in search of that perfect shot. And whether you like it or not. It’s their right to do so.
It’s kind of like the fairly new “pro-choice” chant I keep hearing. If you’re against abortion, don’t have one. Same thing here. If you don’t like hunting, don’t go. See how easy that was.
Want to talk about it? Stop by the blog: www.rm235.blogspot.com or e-mail: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net

Tic Toc...

You know, life can really suck sometimes. I guess I ought to start off by telling you about the weekend road trips I’ve taken over the last five weeks.
It all started out with an e-mail telling me my uncle Terry from Lyons had gotten seriously ill and was in intensive care at the Promise Regional, Medical Center in Hutchinson. My youngest son and I headed to Hutch to see him. He was really in bad shape and it was hard for him to talk but he did know who we were and I really believe he was glad to see us. I took that as a positive sign. My son wasn’t so sure. Anyway, the trip home that afternoon was pretty quiet.
A few days later I received another e-mail informing me that my uncle had been moved back to Lyons and was receiving Hospice care to make his final days as comfortable as possible. I drove out to Lyons the following weekend to see him one last time. He was still in really bad shape but like the previous visit in Hutch, he knew who I was and he knew his time was about up. We didn’t talk much. I did thank him for all the cool things he used to do for my brothers and I when we were kids. Then I told him goodbye for what I was sure would be the very last time.
Three days later I received another e-mail concerning Terry. I just stared at it for a while. It was one of those you really don’t want to open. But when I did, I learned that Terry had improved considerably and was being released from Hospice care. That prompted another trip the following weekend. When I got there he was sitting up in his wheel chair eating lunch. I couldn’t believe this was the same guy I’d just said my final goodbyes to just a few days earlier. We talked for quite a while that day. He was totally pumped that his Cardinals were headed to the Super Bowl. And he just as pumped about Obama being our new president. I stared to argue with him about that but figured there wasn’t really any point in going there. He asked about my wife and kids and wanted to know how my brothers were doing. I told him instead of telling him about them, we’d just all load up next weekend and he could see them for himself.
So we did. The following weekend fifteen of us in four vehicles headed back to out to Lyons. It was such a good visit. He was really proud of the fact that he was now a “great-great uncle.” And he started telling stories about me and my brothers when we were little. One particularly embarrassing, story involving yours truly, my grandpa, and what I thought was a bear trying to kill me really cracked him up. We took a bunch pictures and he made me promise I’d make him copies so he could show off his great-great nieces and nephews to his friends. I assured him I would and that I’d see him in a couple of weeks. And off we went.
I got up early last Sunday morning and like always, put on a pot of coffee and checked my e-mail. The first one was simply titled “Terry.” I guess I was expecting to find out he was still recovering and getting stronger by the day or something, I don’t know. Well, that’s not exactly the way it worked out. It was to inform me that my uncle Terry had passed away about three hours earlier and to assure me he had died peacefully. The news hit me pretty hard. I guess mainly because it caught me off guard.
I’ve had a few days now for the news to soak in so it’s easier to talk about. But I’ve also had time to realize that because my uncle has passed on, the designation of “family elder” has been passed on to me.
I’m not sure, but I think there’s a certain level of responsibility that comes with the title of family elder. I’ll do my best from here on out not to bring outright shame to my family and all that stuff. Also, depending on how you look at it, it kinda makes me the boss.
Problem is though, because time marches on, it’s just a temporary position. I don’t know how long my reign as family elder will last. But I do know, the countdown has begun. Tic Toc.
If you get a chance, stop on by the blog: www.rm235.blogspot.com or like always feel free to e-mail me at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net

Just Wondering...

How many of you still believe the government is here to save us? Locally, we have our own problems. A couple weeks ago we learned that former District Attorney Robert Hecht helped himself to an extra $480,000 because he knew nobody was watching. We have our county commissioners doing their best to blame this obvious oversight on anyone and everyone but themselves. Our city council in their infinite wisdom has now made the mayor’s position one of total and absolute power. I don’t think that’s what we thought we were getting when we voted for our current city manager form of government. But what do I know?
Have you been watching the Bologovich circus unfold in Illinois? I can hardly wait to see how this thing unfolds over the next few months. You have to wonder how more heads are going to roll once he starts talking and naming names.
How about Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel’s now famous quote “ You don’t ever want a good crisis go to waste; it’s an opportunity to do important things that you would otherwise want to avoid.” You don’t suppose that’s why we’re heading full speed ahead with Obama’s $1 trillion emergency bailout plan, do you?
You know what I’m talking about.The stimulus package Obama’s pushing as the only way America can survive. The same package he promised would be free from pork filled, pet projects. Yeah right.
I did a little poking around on the internet last night to find out just how pork-free this whole thing’s going to be. Evidently, in order for us to survive as a nation and jump start the economy we have to provide $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker. We have to supply $448 million for a new Homeland Security building and another $248 million to furnish it. They threw in $600 million to purchase new hybrid vehicles for federal employees. We’re going to fork over $200 million to create public computer centers at our community colleges. The FBI wants $75 million to give their employees a raise. $25 million is earmarked to go towards tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction. The Smithsonian Institute was thought of when it was decided they should get about $150 million to do with as they see fit. Evidently the headquarters of the Public Health Service is in pretty bad shape because they stand to get $88 million so they can have a little nicer place to work. There’s $412 million set aside for the CDC (whatever that is) buildings. And another $500 million for repairing and refurbishing the buildings of the National Institute of Health in Maryland. The list goes on and on but I think you get the point.
Is this the change you were expecting? Sorry, nothing new here. This is the exact same way Washington’s always operated. If these pet projects were so critical to our survival as a nation and would in fact put a significant number of people back to work, they should be able to stand on their own merits rather than being crammed into this stimulus package and hoping nobody will notice. Like Rahm Emanuel said; never let a good crisis go to waste. Whatever.
One thing really did change though. Once Obama’s cabinet appointees started dropping like flies because it came out they were tax cheats, he took a stand. He stood up and told the American people he screwed this up. Don’t get me wrong here. I still oppose almost everything Obama stands for but it is refreshing to know he’s willing to take responsibility when things do go wrong. And for that he's earned my respect.
But then he blew it by saying later the same day, he “just had to get out of the White House." So he and his wife visited a classroom full of second graders. Sorry Mr. President, I know it had to be a stressful day and all. But what's going to happen if something really bad happens? Where are you going to run to then? Just wondering.

I’d like to thank everyone who stopped by the blog last week and joined in on the conversation, it was the busiest week yet. According to your votes on the survey question, 55% of you thought Kim Borchers is on the right track by asking the Shawnee County Library to keep four sexually explicit books behind the counter and out of the reach of little kids. Stop on by: www.rm235.blogspot.com or e-mail me: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net

So Much For Working Together...

I’m not sure what would compel a person to run for elected office in Topeka Kansas these days. Surely it’s not the pay. $10,000 and a lap-top computer for a seat on the city council. And $20,000 and a lap-top for the privilege of becoming the Mayor of our quaint, little city. That’s not much compensation when you consider what a person’s going to have to put up with both personally and professionally if they end up being elected to whatever position they’ve decided to run for.
Hopefully, they’re the kind of people that are simply fed up with the fighting, bickering, and non-stop drama that our city government seems to thrive on and they believe they’re the one’s who can actually make a difference, work together, and finally get things done.
I don’t know if such a person exists in the 25 or so people who have signed up to run in our upcoming elections but I hope for the sake of all of us, there is. Whatever their reasons are, I wish them the best of luck because hate is alive and well in Topeka, Kansas these days.
Don’t believe me? Just look at the thrashing Kim Borchers has had to endure simply because she had the nerve to ask the Shawnee County Public Library to keep four sexually explicit books out of the reach of little kids. I’m not sure why, but because Kim has asked the library to put such important literary works as “Sex for Busy People,” “The Lesbian Kama Sutra,” “The Joy of Sex,” and, “The Joy of Gay Sex” behind the counter the left-wing bloggers have had a field day with her. She’s been called every name in the book. She’s been accused of censorship and of trying to ban and burn these books. She’s been repeatedly compared to Adolph Hitler, Fred Phelps, and the left’s favorite target, that crazy, deranged, out of control, Phill Kline.
Predictably, she’s being called a “bigot” and a “religious zealot,” who’s simply trying to cram her religious beliefs down everyone else’s throats. The left’s battle cry has become “don’t you dare tell me how to raise my kids,” “what my kids read is none of her business,” and, “you can keep your God Squad, Kim, we don‘t need it.” She’s been accused of bringing more shame and ridicule to Topeka by showing the world just how intolerant and backwards we really are. Wow!
Look, I’m not here to pick a fight today but, come on. Don’t you think maybe some of these people are over-reacting just a little bit. Here’s the way I see it. The whole thing has more to do with common sense than it does religious beliefs. The one’s yelling that it’s none of Kim’s business what their kids read are exactly right. It isn’t. All four of these books will still be readily available and if you’re okay with your kids reading them all you have to do is check them out yourselves and hand them over. What’s the problem? And I believe the people trying to turn this whole thing into a gay bashing thing are way off base. But then, that’s just my opinion.
For the last several years all we’ve heard from the Obama supporters and the left in general is that for the good of everyone we must be tolerant of each other’s beliefs and above everything else, we must learn to work together. Hmm.
I know there’s a lot of people out there that are going to hate what I’m about to say but I’m going to do it anyway. This tolerance and working together stuff you claim to be so big on works both ways. You might want to try it sometime.
Just so you know, I’ve completely redesigned my blog to make it easier for you to join in on the conversation. Check it out and let me know what you think at: www.rm235.blogspot.com or if you prefer, you can always e-mail me at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net

District Attorney Robert Hecht...

Looks Pretty Bad Mr. Hecht...

I gotta tell you, the thing with Robert Hecht and the $480,000 he raked in over the last few years for what amounts to overtime pay literally blew me away.
I backed Eric Rucker in the recent elections. But that was only because I believed Eric Rucker would have had different priorities than Hecht. I believed he would have been a lot tougher on violent criminals which is something I believed we lacked with Robert Hecht. Like I said though, that’s just my opinion. I still had a tremendous amount of respect for Robert Hecht, the man.
He was always the guy you could count on to do the right thing, you know, like keeping politicians in line. We cheered him on when he went after Butch Felker. Remember that? Wasn’t it over something like $700.00 he accused Felker of stealing? He was a hero when he took on and brought down Rita Cline for the scam she tried to get away with. How about when he sued the city over the whole soft-ware, helicopter thing. A lot of people backed him when he finally decided to file charges against one of the off duty officers involved in the Lamas shooting. He was always the guy looking out for us. You know, the tax payer. And because he operated without “favor or fear,” if you were a crooked politician, you’d better look out. Sooner or later, you’d have to deal with Robert Hecht and he rarely ever lost.
I’m not even going to pretend to know whether what he did was legal or not. By all rights, it probably was. But I think to most of us, it’s about what’s right. Mr. Hecht, we trusted that you were doing the right thing without question.
I don’t know, maybe we shouldn’t be all that surprised. I mean look, people in power do it all the time. What do you think’s brought our economy to such a grinding halt? Greed. Everybody’s in on it. CEO’s all across the country have brought their companies to their knees by squeezing them for everything they could get for themselves in the shortest time possible.
Greed was responsible for us having to pay $4.00 for a gallon of gas a few months ago. It’s a little scary to know just how much damage a few speculators with tons of cash to invest can do. Same thing with the housing industry. Come on, who didn’t see that coming? Did people really believe the prices of houses were just keep going up forever. Banks didn’t care whether the people they were loaning money to could repay it or not. They just sold off the mortgages at bulk prices so they were going to get their money no matter what. Sooner or later it had to come crashing in.
It’s kind of the same way here, isn’t it. Mr. Hecht had to know that sooner or later this was going to come out. That’s why I say what he was doing will probably pass the legal test. You can say what you want about Robert Hecht but you can‘t say he doesn‘t know the law. He knew exactly what he could legally get away with.
It’s all about choices we make. Mr. Hecht, you could have chosen to stay above the fray and walked away from office with your head held high, knowing that you still had the respect of the people you represented.
Mr. Hecht, I know it sounds like I’m jumping to conclusions here. I guess for that, I apologize. And I know we haven’t heard your side of the story yet. But I gotta yell you, from this side it looks pretty bad. To a lot people it looks like you're no better than some of the people you were supposedly bringing to justice. And because of that sir, you’ve let a lot of people down.
Want to talk about it? Go to my blog at: www.rm235.blogspot.com or e-mail me at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net

Lot Lizards Out Doing What They Do...

Truck Stops...

Let’s see, where were we? Oh yeah, last week I’d just made it to the bottom of that stupid hill outside of Ashville, North Carolina. Note to self, learn to follow simple instructions. It’s not my fault though. Even as a child my teachers usually made some comment like, “Kevin doesn’t pay attention in class” on the back of my report cards. Here’s the deal, my parents were warned, so it’s their fault, not mine. And yes, I’m okay with that.
Well, not really. I did learn a thing or two that day. To tell you the truth, I learned something new almost every day I lived on the road. By getting to know mostly working class people from one end of the country to the other, I learned we‘re all pretty much the same. For the most part people are just doing the best they can to take care of their families. I learned first hand just how beautiful this country or ours really is. But I also learned that you have to be careful out there because not every body on the road has your best interests at heart. Think Truck-Stops.
They’re called “Travel-Plazas” today but they’re still pretty much the same. We’ve all been to them. Good places to pull off the interstate, gas up, go to the bathroom, and get something to eat at the over-priced restaurant. It’s not unusual to see parents send their kids off to the game room while they’re taking care of business. To be honest, that’s really not a good idea.
Ninety nine times out of a hundred you’re going to be okay. Everything you and your family see as you’re fueling up, eating, and playing video games is all good, clean fun, right? But like most things in life, there is a dark side to some of these places. I’m going to tell you a story today about a truck-stop in Nashville Tennessee. It was one of my favorites. But you had to be careful, it could be pretty dangerous too.
It usually went something like this. Breaker 1-9, Hey, you got Bojangles here and I’m looking for all the trashy (party) people. It wouldn’t be long before someone would radio back. You got Wagon Master here Bojangles, come on back to the back row, there’s plenty of room and the night’s still young. Hey thanks Wagon Master, let me fuel up and I’ll be back there in a few minutes.
I’ve told you before about parts of my checkered past. I’ve talked about how I liked to drink and raise hell as a young man. Well, this was all part of it. No, I never really dove into the dark side but I did enjoy skirting it every once in a while. There was a bar right across the street from the truck-stop that was always full of truckers. We’d get drunk, get loud, play a little pool, and raise a little hell. Eventually most of us would stagger back to our trucks, break out the lawn chairs, and drink a few more beers before the evening show started. I’m talking about the “lot lizards” (prostitutes.) Yeah, Nashville’s truck-stop was full of them. To tell you the truth, they were kind of fun having around. But no, I never paid for any of the services they were offering up but a lot of truckers I knew did. You had to be careful though. Besides possibly spreading every sexually transmitted disease known to man a lot of them were thieves. Even if you turned them down for the date they were selling, a lot of times they’d still try to get inside your truck, you know, just to look around. And when you have lot lizards, you also have their pimps. You’d see them cruising around the parking lot keeping an eye on their property. You knew for sure they were armed to the teeth and you knew for sure they were the one’s selling the drugs.
It was also pretty common to hear a trucker on his radio trying to get a ride for some young girl he’d picked up somewhere along the way. It’s always the same story too. They’re just trying to get home. Maybe some of them were. Truth is though, most were teenage girls who’ve run away from home and were simply drifting from one place to another with anyone who would have them.
It’s the same with rest areas too. And no, I’m not saying all truck stops and rest areas are bad places. What I’m saying is that any of them they can be. Sooner or later everyone who lives their lives on the road stop at these places and they’re not all good people. Just be careful out there.
Got a story to tell or maybe you just want to tell me off? You’re always welcome to visit my blog at: www.rm235.blogspot.com I’ve posted several more trucking videos you might enjoy. Anyway, I think they’re good. Or like always, you can e-mail me at: wwwkevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net

All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down - Hank Jr...