Plog: "Death of Cyclist Costs Company Millions," September 1
Thanks to Carolyn Szczepanski for her Plog item on the $2 million settlement in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of cyclist John Triggs against the Fordyce Concrete Company and truck driver Jason Driskell. Thanks for the publicity you gave this story and the safety of bicyclists. The family is very grateful.
Denise Henning, Kansas City, Missouri
Burnt Ends: "Power and Flight," September 4
I have always admired The Pitch for being a champion of the little guys. You always keep big businesses honest and support local businesses enthusiastically when deserved. But I have to cry foul at the Burnt Ends map of downtown restaurants that closed around the arrival of the Power & Light District. It is a stretch to imply that it was the cause of their demise. I have worked around downtown for 12 years as a server, bartender and manager. Within minutes, I came up with several reasons of my own.
1. Skybox was the locale of many violent acts.
2. Tanner's and Fred P. Ott's had bad food and worse service.
3. At the Mango Room, substandard service and inconsistent food were as much to blame as construction.
4. The Studio delayed its opening so many times, it was doomed from the start.
5. The kids who hung out at Jilly's wouldn't be caught dead at the P&L.
6. Bar Natasha has been serving $9 vodka drinks for all five of its years.
7. Paddy O'Quigley's had the atmosphere of a high school gymnasium.
8. Casa Grande and Jared Allen's were in the same building; Casa Grande closed almost a year ago, and Jared Allen's closed immediately after he was traded.
I know that the local guys need to work extra hard to compete, but when I go out, I want good food, a relatively clean space to hang out and service that makes me feel wanted. I work in a local restaurant downtown, and we're usually full, and we all make a ton of money. It's because we have great service and excellent food.
Name withheld by request
The Power & Light District has had its name buzzing in the media for months now, and the silly people whining about it actually think they are doing something worthwhile. Wake up, folks. It's just media coverage, and you are playing the part of the babbling idiot. If you don't like the dress code someplace, don't go — easy as that. If they restrict their clientele too severely with dress codes and rules, they will wither and die; that is basic supply and demand. So either pull up your britches and come play, or stand on the corner with your homies and rag about it. It is possible to make yourself look stupid while complaining about someone trying to run a business with a few rules that promote decency and safety for everybody. If you don't like thug discrimination, don't be a thug.
Can we all stop bitching now and just have a good time?
Name withheld by request
State Lines, "McCain Girl," September 4
I thoroughly enjoyed Alan Scherstuhl's article about Sarah Simmons. It captured her so well. I've known her since 1992 — she is my sister-in-law. Her Kmart days were not foreign to me. I think I even saw her don a red vest once or twice. The first time I met her, I went to a double-header track meet and band concert of hers.
Sarah is one of the most committed and intelligent women I've ever come across. She is the role model you want your kids to follow; I'm glad to have her as family for that reason alone. As a lifelong New Yorker, I also appreciate her embodiment of Midwestern values and pluck. It definitely runs in the family.
Thank you for entertaining me and making me feel so proud of her!
Amy Simmons, Port Chester, New York
Feature: "Home Sweet Parking Lot," September 4
I just read Nadia Pflaum's article on homeless men in Johnson County who spend the night in well-lighted parking lots. I truly applaud you for educating your readers about the "invisible" poor in the midst of affluence. I think, however, that your article missed an opportunity to further educate the public about homelessness. Social scientists are studying the growing "feminization of poverty." Single mothers have seen social supports (e.g., TANF, SSI, Medicaid, food stamps) reduced or even disappear in the aftermath of welfare reform.
The Homeless Services Coalition has a good local Web site at hscgkc.org. Once again, thank you for providing much-needed information for the public.
Rick Folker, Kansas City, Missouri
It was great to see C.J. Janovy's article on Fred Wickham's rescue of Waylon Jennings' tour bus. In 1975, I spent Christmas Eve on the bus riding around the parking lot of the Executive House Apartments in Nashville, Tennessee. Waylon's driver and the guy who sold his merchandise on tour lived there and, like me, had no place to go for Christmas. We started drinking beer and riding around the apartment complex, and before long we had a bus load of folks drinking and singing Christmas carols. If we had spotted Santa Claus, we would have given him a ride also. It was a great Christmas!
Leo Waters, Nashville, Tennessee
Correction: Crystal K. Wiebe's September 11 Buckle Bunny column misidentified Paper Head — who also went by DollarHead — as a rapper.
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I am really disturbed that so many white people still harbor so much prejudice.Unfortunantly there are some black people that do some pretty stupid stuff, but that is only 1 to2% of us that are criminals and do dumb a##things.But most of us believe it or not are honest hardworking taxpaying individuals.Now with that being said,Barack Obama actually cares about america and has it and its people best interest in mind. But there are so many white people who will once again vote against there own best interest this time bacause they will not vote for someone black,what a shame.And trust me i also dont think black people should vote for him because he is black , but because he has the right ideas.I love my country as much as anyone, the republicans do not have a monopoly on patriotism.I hoped that america would be more progressive and be ready for something different, I am dissapointed. Most serial killers and child molesters are middle age white men, but they still get elected president.Stop putting everything that bad people do on the race as a whole we have to move beyond that. To my black folks, take responsibilty for your kids and neighborhoods, crime is not cute or sexy stop the dumb shi*. To my white brothers &sisters , we are all not bad not all killers or robbers.Take time to actually get to know us.Trust me i have a lot of white freinds, some rich some poor but we have mutual respect for each other. We can change america one hand shake at a time.
I am really disturbed that so many white people still harbor so much prejudice.Unfortunantly there are some black people that do some pretty stupid stuff, but that is only 1 to2% of us that are criminals and do dumb a##things.But most of us believe it or not are honest hardworking taxpaying individuals.Now with that being said,Barack Obama actually cares about america and has it and its people best interest in mind. But there are so many white people who will once again vote against there own best interest this time bacause they will not vote for someone black,what a shame.And trust me i also dont think black people should vote for him because he is black , but because he has the right ideas.I love my country as much as anyone, the republicans do not have a monopoly on patriotism.I hoped that america would be more progressive and be ready for something different, I am dissapointed. Most serial killers and child molesters are middle age white men, but they still get elected president.Stop putting everything that bad people do on the race as a whole we have to move beyond that. To my black folks, take responsibilty for your kids and neighborhoods, crime is not cute or sexy stop the dumb shi*. To my white brothers &sisters , we are all not bad not all killers or robbers.Take time to actually get to know us.Trust me i have a lot of white freinds, some rich some poor but we have mutual respect for each other. We can change america one hand shake at a time.
In response as to why Hillary supporters are not 'falling in line' to support Barack Obama I will pass on the reasons listed below by Lynette Long, which are more eloquent than I am able to express.
The main reasons are that Barack Obama and his campaign held Camp Obama http://www.npr.org/templates/s... groups all over the US (and still are) to rev up young voters to intimidate and bully opposing voters, (telling them to 'get in peoples' faces, they had to win at any cost)...this worked well in the primary caucuses and led to caucus fraud in the election, STEALING the win from Hillary Clinton!
http://www.lynettelong.com/CAU...
On top of that travesty, the Obama Campaign and the DNC not only shut out communication of the Hillary Delegates (before the convention in Denver) with one another in multiple states (so they could be supportive of each other in voting for Senator Clinton) , but also threatened to cut off funding from the DNC to their local Democratic Parties for their future political campaigns) bullied them into not representing Hillay's 18 million voters, and giving their votes to Barack in a 'show of unity'. We have proof of this in about 15 pages of notes written by those Clinton delegates. Why do the delegates not come forward and make this public? Because the liberal and conservative news will not print it... and believe me, many of us have sent information of the caucus fraud to Fox, MSNBC, CNN, and all news agents.
These two issues are the elephants in the room, but the news will spin it as something else, many will say that Hillary supporters are voting for McCain because Palin is a woman, this is not the real reason. There are millions of us, some call themselves PUMAs and we will do what ever we can to keep Obama out of the Whitehouse. I will be voting for a Republican for the second time in my long life. I remembered I did vote for Arnold in California because I was sick of the financial mess in my state and I hoped that Maria - being a good democrat would make sure he didn't pull any Republican shenanigans in our blue state. That being said, here are the reasons I will not vote for Obama and will vote for McCain as a PROTEST vote against Obama and the DNC in November.
PRINCIPLE OVER POLICY
by Lynette Long (http://www.lynettelong.com/CAU... )
People wonder how I could vote Republican when I am a lifelong Democrat and I don�t agree with the Republicans on many key issues. This election I�m voting on Principle over Policy and Patriotism over Promises. Politicians pander to the electorate to win votes. Obama is no different. I don�t care what he says he is going to do for America, as my grandmother used to say, �Talk is Cheap.� What I care more about is �Who is Barack Obama?� and �What has the Democratic Party become?� So in a clear effort to explain my position, here are 14 reasons I will not vote for Obama, my party�s nominee.
The Chairperson of the Democratic National Committee has never been a woman. How can I support a party that is primarily composed on women but run by men?
Obama sat for 20 years inside Trinity United Church of Christ which exposes Black Liberation Theology and listened to Rev. Wright his mentor trash America and white Americans. How can I support a candidate that goes to a church that preaches hatred in any form?
Obama casts himself as a candidate of change but he is an old Chicago-style politician. He won his first State Senate race by eliminating all other candidates on technicalities and his U.S. Senate race by opening the sealed divorce file of his opponent and forcing his opponent to withdraw. How can I vote for a candidate who is not who is says he is?
The Democratic Party was silent to the rampant sexism that occurred during the primary process. How can I support a party that did not acknowledge the rampant sexism in the campaign and consequently ignored me as a woman?
Obama did not stand up for Senator Clinton when Rev. Wright and Father Pflaeger trashed her from the pulpit of Trinity United Church of Christ. When Ludacris called Hillary an irrelevant bitch, Obama was mute. How can I support a nominee, without the courage to stand up against blatant racism and sexism?
Nancy Pelosi, in conjunction with other Democratic leaders, paid off superdelegates to get them to vote for Obama. How can I support a party that pre-selected its nominee?
Obama only lost one out of fourteen caucuses. Obama lost twenty-one out of thirty-eight primaries. This discrepancy is due to voter fraud, voter intimidation, busing, and voter suppression in the caucuses. How can I support an illegal nominee, a nominee who will use any means necessary to win?
Democratic insiders knew about the caucus fraud and voter fraud during the primary process. How can I support a party that turned a blind eye to the blatant irregularities during the primary process?
Obama is inexperienced. He has served less than one term in the United States Senate of which he has spent most the time campaigning. How can I support a candidate that does not have the experience to lead this country?
Obama has numerous questionable associations. There is an old expression, �By his friends, shall ye know him.� How can I vote for someone I don�t trust?
Obama ignored the will of 18 million voters did not choose Hillary Rodham Clinton as his running mate. How can I support a nominee who brushed aside the will of 18 million voters?
The Democratic Party which is composed of 60% women has not put a woman on the Democratic Ticket for 24 years. How can I support a party that takes the votes of the women of the party for granted?
Barack Obama had a sham of a roll call at the Democratic National Convention in Denver and strong armed delegates to cast their votes for him. Clinton Delegates, were shouted down, threatened with their jobs, and replaced. How can I support a nominee who does not support democracy?
How can I vote for a candidate I don�t trust, whose character is questionable, who I believe obtained the nomination illegally, who ignored the blatant sexism leveled a Senator Clinton and Governor Palin, and is too inexperienced to do the job? I can�t.
VOTE DEMOCRATIC IN 2008? NEVER! RETURN TO THE PARTY IN 2012? NOT SURE!
This is the Obama the media doesn't want you to know about ...
In Texas alone there were more than 2,000 complaints filed regarding caucus fraud . Obama hired Acorn thugs to criminally disrupt caucuses and violate State and Federal laws all across Texas and the other caucus States .
http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2...
http://www.lynettelong.com/CAU...
Obama gave this group over $800,000.00 during the primaries and now has them setting up in Ohio , Michigan , Fla. Co. And TX !! http://www.rottenacorn.com/
And watch the videos on this site : http://wewillnotbesilenced2008...
During his trip to Iraq , Obama attempted to subvert ongoing negotiations with the Iraqi Government and the current Administration and generals on the ground by asking Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari to delay any Troop withdrawal until AFTER the elections !!!!
Not only would this keep our Troops in harms way longer than necessary , this is a direct violation of the Logan Act which states , "
Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both. "
http://www.nypost.com/seven/09...
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com...
Further , there has been a lawsuit filed in Pa. By the Frmr. Pa . Deputy. Atty. General charging that Obama is not qualified to run for POTUS under the Constitution . This case was found to have merit and was NOT dismissed ! http://www.obamacrimes.com/
As a life long Democrat , I understand the importance of our maintaining control of the Congress during this crucial period in our history , but as an American , I REFUSE to support a criminal simply because my party wishes it .
The
> REAL Barack Obama: Everything that you did not want to know:
>
> . Flip Flops - abortion, gun control, Iraq troop withdrawal, campaign
> financing, taxes (capital gain), FISA, economic plans, running for
> President
>
> . Affiliations - Wright, Farrakhan, Rezko, Ayers, ACORN, David Kernel, George, Soros, CPUSA, Khalidi, Penny Pritzker
>
> . Inexperience - 143 Days in the US Senate - never voted against Iraq War
>
> . Debates - Avoids direct questions requiring direct answers - wants
> to minimize his exposure to the American Public by avoiding debates; has
> put off until just before the elections to have his debates
>
> . Wages- Female Staff .77 cents to the dollar
>
> . Berg Lawsuit
>
> . Logan Act
>
> . Voting Record - Present or not taking a stance - not a unifier -
> voted
> yes three times for babies born alive due to failed abortion be allowed
> to die -
>
> . International Experience - wants to sit down at the table with enemy
> nations.
In response as to why Hillary supporters are not 'falling in line' to support Barack Obama I will pass on the reasons listed below by Lynette Long, which are more eloquent than I am able to express. The main reasons are that Barack Obama and his campaign held Camp Obama http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11012254 groups all over the US (and still are) to rev up young voters to intimidate and bully opposing voters, (telling them to 'get in peoples' faces, they had to win at any cost)...this worked well in the primary caucuses and led to caucus fraud in the election, STEALING the win from Hillary Clinton! http://www.lynettelong.com/CAUCUSFRAUD/ On top of that travesty, the Obama Campaign and the DNC not only shut out communication of the Hillary Delegates (before the convention in Denver) with one another in multiple states (so they could be supportive of each other in voting for Senator Clinton) , but also threatened to cut off funding from the DNC to their local Democratic Parties for their future political campaigns) bullied them into not representing Hillay's 18 million voters, and giving their votes to Barack in a 'show of unity'. We have proof of this in about 15 pages of notes written by those Clinton delegates. Why do the delegates not come forward and make this public? Because the liberal and conservative news will not print it... and believe me, many of us have sent information of the caucus fraud to Fox, MSNBC, CNN, and all news agents. These two issues are the elephants in the room, but the news will spin it as something else, many will say that Hillary supporters are voting for McCain because Palin is a woman, this is not the real reason. There are millions of us, some call themselves PUMAs and we will do what ever we can to keep Obama out of the Whitehouse. I will be voting for a Republican for the second time in my long life. I remembered I did vote for Arnold in California because I was sick of the financial mess in my state and I hoped that Maria - being a good democrat would make sure he didn't pull any Republican shenanigans in our blue state. That being said, here are the reasons I will not vote for Obama and will vote for McCain as a PROTEST vote against Obama and the DNC in November. PRINCIPLE OVER POLICY by Lynette Long (http://www.lynettelong.com/CAUCUSFRAUD/ ) People wonder how I could vote Republican when I am a lifelong Democrat and I don’t agree with the Republicans on many key issues. This election I’m voting on Principle over Policy and Patriotism over Promises. Politicians pander to the electorate to win votes. Obama is no different. I don’t care what he says he is going to do for America, as my grandmother used to say, “Talk is Cheap.” What I care more about is “Who is Barack Obama?” and “What has the Democratic Party become?” So in a clear effort to explain my position, here are 14 reasons I will not vote for Obama, my party’s nominee. The Chairperson of the Democratic National Committee has never been a woman. How can I support a party that is primarily composed on women but run by men? Obama sat for 20 years inside Trinity United Church of Christ which exposes Black Liberation Theology and listened to Rev. Wright his mentor trash America and white Americans. How can I support a candidate that goes to a church that preaches hatred in any form? Obama casts himself as a candidate of change but he is an old Chicago-style politician. He won his first State Senate race by eliminating all other candidates on technicalities and his U.S. Senate race by opening the sealed divorce file of his opponent and forcing his opponent to withdraw. How can I vote for a candidate who is not who is says he is? The Democratic Party was silent to the rampant sexism that occurred during the primary process. How can I support a party that did not acknowledge the rampant sexism in the campaign and consequently ignored me as a woman? Obama did not stand up for Senator Clinton when Rev. Wright and Father Pflaeger trashed her from the pulpit of Trinity United Church of Christ. When Ludacris called Hillary an irrelevant bitch, Obama was mute. How can I support a nominee, without the courage to stand up against blatant racism and sexism? Nancy Pelosi, in conjunction with other Democratic leaders, paid off superdelegates to get them to vote for Obama. How can I support a party that pre-selected its nominee? Obama only lost one out of fourteen caucuses. Obama lost twenty-one out of thirty-eight primaries. This discrepancy is due to voter fraud, voter intimidation, busing, and voter suppression in the caucuses. How can I support an illegal nominee, a nominee who will use any means necessary to win? Democratic insiders knew about the caucus fraud and voter fraud during the primary process. How can I support a party that turned a blind eye to the blatant irregularities during the primary process? Obama is inexperienced. He has served less than one term in the United States Senate of which he has spent most the time campaigning. How can I support a candidate that does not have the experience to lead this country? Obama has numerous questionable associations. There is an old expression, “By his friends, shall ye know him.” How can I vote for someone I don’t trust? Obama ignored the will of 18 million voters did not choose Hillary Rodham Clinton as his running mate. How can I support a nominee who brushed aside the will of 18 million voters? The Democratic Party which is composed of 60% women has not put a woman on the Democratic Ticket for 24 years. How can I support a party that takes the votes of the women of the party for granted? Barack Obama had a sham of a roll call at the Democratic National Convention in Denver and strong armed delegates to cast their votes for him. Clinton Delegates, were shouted down, threatened with their jobs, and replaced. How can I support a nominee who does not support democracy? How can I vote for a candidate I don’t trust, whose character is questionable, who I believe obtained the nomination illegally, who ignored the blatant sexism leveled a Senator Clinton and Governor Palin, and is too inexperienced to do the job? I can’t. VOTE DEMOCRATIC IN 2008? NEVER! RETURN TO THE PARTY IN 2012? NOT SURE!
This is the Obama the media doesn't want you to know about ... In Texas alone there were more than 2,000 complaints filed regarding caucus fraud . Obama hired Acorn thugs to criminally disrupt caucuses and violate State and Federal laws all across Texas and the other caucus States . http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/05/04/texas-caucus-fraud/ http://www.lynettelong.com/CAUCUSFRAUD/ Obama gave this group over $800,000.00 during the primaries and now has them setting up in Ohio , Michigan , Fla. Co. And TX !! http://www.rottenacorn.com/ And watch the videos on this site : http://wewillnotbesilenced2008.com/ During his trip to Iraq , Obama attempted to subvert ongoing negotiations with the Iraqi Government and the current Administration and generals on the ground by asking Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari to delay any Troop withdrawal until AFTER the elections !!!! Not only would this keep our Troops in harms way longer than necessary , this is a direct violation of the Logan Act which states , " Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both. " http://www.nypost.com/seven/09152008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/obama_tried_to_stall_gis_iraq_withdrawal_129150.htm http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/06/16/1146192.aspx Further , there has been a lawsuit filed in Pa. By the Frmr. Pa . Deputy. Atty. General charging that Obama is not qualified to run for POTUS under the Constitution . This case was found to have merit and was NOT dismissed ! http://www.obamacrimes.com/ As a life long Democrat , I understand the importance of our maintaining control of the Congress during this crucial period in our history , but as an American , I REFUSE to support a criminal simply because my party wishes it .
The > REAL Barack Obama: Everything that you did not want to know: > > . Flip Flops - abortion, gun control, Iraq troop withdrawal, campaign > financing, taxes (capital gain), FISA, economic plans, running for > President > > . Affiliations - Wright, Farrakhan, Rezko, Ayers, ACORN, David Kernel, George, Soros, CPUSA, Khalidi, Penny Pritzker > > . Inexperience - 143 Days in the US Senate - never voted against Iraq War > > . Debates - Avoids direct questions requiring direct answers - wants > to minimize his exposure to the American Public by avoiding debates; has > put off until just before the elections to have his debates > > . Wages- Female Staff .77 cents to the dollar > > . Berg Lawsuit > > . Logan Act > > . Voting Record - Present or not taking a stance - not a unifier - > voted > yes three times for babies born alive due to failed abortion be allowed > to die - > > . International Experience - wants to sit down at the table with enemy > nations.
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