When does the first decade of the 21st century end?

As we near this year's end, we are being bombarded with articles that summarize the past decade..."The best baseball (football, soccer, badminton) players of the decade!"..."The top news stories of the decade!"...etc. But, when does the decade end? December 31, 2009 or 2010?

I am reminded of a question posed to my class by a law school professor in 1970. "When will the century end," he asked. There were two obvious answers: December 31, 1999 or 2000. As we pondered the answers, it became obvious the question had nothing to do with law. It was asked to make us think.

Ultimately, we figured out that in the calendar in common worldwide usage, the first year was "Year 1" and the 100th year was "Year 100." That marked the first century. Each succeeding century, then, began with "1" and end with "00." The twentieth century began on January 1, 1901 and ended on December 31, 2000. The first decade of the twenty-first century began January 1, 2001 and will end about a year from now, on December 31, 2010. Save those "all-decade" lists for another year.

A present-day law school professor ponders this same question here. Maybe this is about law?

"Rehabilitated? It's just a bullshit word."

The Kansas State Board of Education responded to my lawsuit on Dec. 9, voting once again to deny me a teacher's license. Here's the T C-J report. A few points:
1. There are felons teaching in the Kansas public schools today. One of them was honored with a "Teacher of the Year" award 2 years ago.
2. This BOE licensed a felon a few months ago.
3. The BOE must find a felon is "rehabilitated for a period of 5 years" before issuing a license.
4. Six votes are needed from this 10 member Board to obtain a license. Four members voted to license me. Two of the 6 who voted to deny me spoke on the record saying they were satisfied I was rehabilitated. The two did not explain the inconsistency in their vote.
5. My recourse is to go back to Court and ask the Judge to find that the BOE decision is not supported by the evidence. I'll probably do this next week.
6. I feel like Red (the Morgan Freeman character) in The Shawshank Redemption who went before the State Parole Board every year, said the right things, did the right things, patronized them and was denied for parole. Finally, he said what was in his heart, cussed repeatedly, insulted them and, lo and behold, had his parole approved. The scene is worth revisiting.

Honduran Hero

I've followed the democratic goings-on in Honduras that began last summer with the ouster of President Mel Zelaya by the Honduran military, acting upon a warrant issued by the Honduran Supreme Court. Although the actions at the time appeared to be in accordance with the Honduran Constitution, the Obama Administration decried the "coup" and demanded that Zelaya be restored to the Presidency. Secretary of State Clinton ordered that financial aid to Honduras be frozen and initiated several other punitive measures.

Despite the Obama Administration's aligning U.S. policy with Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, the U.S. media and our elected leaders in Washington were largely silent. A notable exception is Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) who traveled to Honduras and who has consistently spoken out in favor of the Honduran government and their efforts to follow the rule of law. Now, his efforts appear to be winning out, as the Obama administration has modified its' tune and spoken in favor of recognition of the government to be formed after the regularly scheduled elections are held in Honduras on November 29. For his efforts in support of democracy in Honduras, Jim DeMint is a Honduran hero.

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Update: Mary Anastasia O'Grady, writing in the Wall Street Journal, reminds us of the influence of the Catholic Church in Honduras' internal affairs.

Amazing Video

As a teenager, I learned to fly and earned a private pilot's license. I've always admired those who are paid to fly for a living, and when Capt. Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger landed his Airbus A320 in the Hudson River after a bird strike caused the plane to lose power in both engines, I tried to imagine how I would have responded to this emergency. I expect every pilot does this. We know how calmly Capt. Sullenberger responded, thereby saving his life as well as the lives of all of the passengers and flight personnel on board. Here is an amazing video recreation of the brief flight of US Airways Flight 1549.

How I spent my Birthday

Here's how I spent part of my birthday...asking the State Board of Education to issue a teacher's license to me.

Happy Birthday........to ME!!

Today is my 61st birthday. Here I am a few months ago at the Fess Parker Winery near Los Olivos, California.

The Kansas Board of Education Gets Schooled

The Kansas Board of Education denied my teacher's license last May. I didn't think they followed the law. Specifically they didn't determine whether I was rehabilitated as the statute requires of them. So, I filed a lawsuit against the State Board and last week, Judge Larry Hendricks ruled in my favor. His Memorandum Decision and Order (link to the Order is here) remands the issue of my teacher's license back to the State Board with directions for them to make findings regarding my rehabilitation.

He points out in his Order that the Chairperson of the State Board, Janet Waugh, voted against me, after stating on the record, "I guess I just have to say one thing that --- my major concern over this is the fact that I'm not saying he's not rehabilitated. You know, there's probably --- I'm confident he probably is."

A second Board member, Kathy Martin stated, "I'd like to tell Mr. Wright that I certainly agree that he has been rehabilitated and that I appreciate all the things that are in his fact---or all the facts that he has given us."

So, the Board, that denied my license on a 4-6 vote will now have a second chance to license me to teach, and a clear majority of the Board have spoken in favor of my rehabilitation.

And, the most remarkable thing about the Judge's Order? He did it on his own initiative, at a preliminary stage of the lawsuit. We had yet to get to the point where the parties were briefing the main issues of the case or even asked him to rule. Schooled.

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Update: 11/3/2009. Here's the Topeka Capital-Journal report of the Court's decision to remand the case back to the State Board of Education.

Justice Scalia and Brown v. Board of Education

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia recently appeared at a public forum in the Phoenix area. The forum was covered by Howard Fischer, writing in the East Valley Tribune. In his first published report of the forum, Fischer quoted Scalia as saying he would have dissented from Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 case that ordered the desegration of public schools across the country "with all deliberate speed." Reading Scalia's statement, the bloggers across the internet, many of whom despise Scalia anyway for his conservative and out-spoken advocacy of originalism, took off and blasted Scalia for his wrongheadedness. There was one problem, though. Scalia didn't say what he was quoted as saying. Fortunately, for him, the forum was recorded on video, and soon the video was released and Scalia could be heard and seen to say he would have joined Mr. Justice Harlan in dissenting from Plessy v. Ferguson, the case overturned by Brown.

Damn. The liberals had a great stroy blow up in their faces. They wanted to believe Scalia had said it. Now, they had to write retractions. The original story disappeared. In its' place was an updated story that corrected the earlier version. But an error this grievous demands an apology, doesn't it? This writer thinks so. This law professor sees this as similar to the recent flap over fictitious Rush Limbaugh quotes. I think an apology is in order.

Autumn in Kansas

It has been one of the most beautiful autumns I can ever remember experiencing here in Northeast Kansas. Maybe it is due to the rain we've had this year or the cool summer, or maybe I just forget how pretty the trees in front of my house are this time every year.

Joe Paterno

There's a funny line, not intended to be as funny as it is, in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated. In a feature story about Penn State's 82 year old football coach, Joe Paterno, he shows he's not as out-of-touch with modern technology ("What's that thing called, Facemask?") as most people think he is. The story is told that during the off-season, he called his coaches together and the first thing he told them was, "Gentlemen, we need to start Twittering."

What's funny, at least to me, about that line is that one of JoPa's coaches is Larry Johnson, Sr., the father of Kansas City Chiefs running back, Larry Johnson. After yesterday's 37- 7 loss to their rival, the San Diego Chargers, KC stands 1-6 and is one of the worst teams in the NFL. Larry Johnson, who has never been a team player, took the opportunity to blast his head coach, Todd Haley, using, of all things, his Twitter account. He pointed out that Haley and some of the other coaches had never played in the NFL (Which NFL team did Bill Belichek play for?) and their lack of experience is the cause of the Chiefs' troubles.

JoPa also is quoted in the article saying, "Times have not changed that much. I think kids today, they are confused. They long for some kind of discipline." Too bad LJ, who played for JoPa, learned how to twitter, but failed to learn JoPa's lesson about discipline.

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Update: On Monday, the Chiefs severed their relationship with Larry Johnson. Good riddance.

Legal to kill an attacker but don't threaten him

The Kansas Supreme Court is coming under some criticism for an odd decision they issued last Friday in the case of State v. Hendrix. Hendrix argued with his sister and was charged with the crimes of criminal threat and aggravated assault. His request for a self-defense jury instruction was denied because Hendrix did not demonstrate a reasonable belief that his actions were necessary to defend himself against his sister's use of imminent force. He was convicted and upon appeal, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction even though they noted the absurdity in denying self-defense to a defendant who can diffuse a situation with the mere threat of force but granting the defense to one who actually applies force. Instapundit (Univ. of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds) links to a critique of the decision from UCLA law professor, Eugene Volokh, who notes it may be legal to kill an attacker, but not to threaten him.

Chief Justice Robert E. Davis, joined by Justice Marla J. Lukert, dissented from the decision, saying that “force” should reasonably be read to include “constructive force” such as threats.

Death of a Company

In a few weeks, Topeka will lose a long-time employer...a great corporate citizen...and a stalwart of the Topeka scene for nearly 100 years. Martin Tractor Co. has been sold to Foley Tractor Co. of Wichita. On the surface, this seems like a simple deal with one company acquiring another. This happens throughout America every day.

But, the impact of this deal on Topeka will be significant. Sure, there are a few jobs lost. But more important to the community is the loss of a good corporate citizen. Martin Tractor Co. supports the United Way, Junior Achievement, the American Cancer Society, the Heart Association, Habitat for Humanity, the Boy Scouts, Sheltered Living and many, many more charities. Any project undertaken in Topeka, from the construction of a new building at the Zoo to the Children's Discovery Center has Martin Tractor Co. and its people to thank. Their Board of Directors, Officers and employees are involved in these projects that make Topeka such a great place to live and work. Foley's attention will be on Wichita, not Topeka, and that is a huge loss for our town.

I once had a local CEO tell me he had lived around the world in a half dozen towns, and Topeka, in his opinion, was "the pan-handlest town" in which he had ever lived. He said there was someone in his office every week asking for money for this project or that cause. I took his comment as a compliment. Topekans don't do it alone. The entire community is involved, and in the future it will remain involved, but without Martin Tractor Company. Too bad for us.

The "Interim Leader" of Honduras Interviewed by Greta

Am I the only one? the only one who thinks this is important?

No, Greta, I also think this is very important.

John Finn, An American Hero

Meet John Finn. At 100 years of age, he is the USA's oldest living Medal of Honor recipient. He is a true American hero, despite his own thoughts that he summarizes in this article by saying, "That damned hero stuff is a bunch crap"

I've talked to a lot of WWII veterans, and to a man, they tell you, usually with tears in their eyes, that the heroes are the ones who didn't come home.

Ben Stein

What a talent. In just a few short paragraphs, the actor, writer, and economist, Ben Stein, who may be best known for his humorously monotonous voice in film and television roles, has written a brilliant thank you note to our President. Ben Stein says "Thank You, Mr. President" for reviving the Republican party. I say to you Mr. Stein, "Thank You!"

Our Nanny, Kathleen Sebelius

It has come to this. The federal government, that already controls too much of our lives, is now telling us how to cough and sneeze. Didn't your mother (your real mother, not the governmental mother) teach you this? Our former Kansas Governor is showing us how she carries out policy in her new job as Obama's HHS Secretary. Thanks, but I'll continue to cough and sneeze the old fashioned way...the way Mom taught me.

Tax Cheats

You've heard the commercials on TV. "I owed the IRS $3 million and the "Tax Advisors" got my payment reduced to $5,000!" Or how about this one, "I'm Roni Deutch (see photo) and I went to bat for this dumb schlumb and got his tax bill cut to pennies on the dollar!" Are you impressed? I'm not.

These scumbags are tax cheats and while we keep paying our taxes, in full and on time, they get away with flaunting the law. Every dollar they don't pay is one honest taxpayers must make up.

Honduras - Update

I'm captivated by the goings-on in tiny, poor Honduras. As this article points out, much of the Honduran economy depends upon trade and good relations with the U.S. and the brave Hondurans are willing to risk all of this in the name of freedom. Their democratically-elected President, Manuel Zelaya, violated the Constitution, was lawfully arrested and thrown out of the country. He appeared to be planning to convert Honduras into a socialist country with supreme powers being vested in him, ala his mentor, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. The U.S. has chosen sides in this dispute, and stunningly, the Obama administration has taken a position against the Honduran people. I'm with the Hondurans. And, yes, I can find Honduras on a map.

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Update: Finally, a Republican speaks up on behalf of Honduras and against the Administration's policies.

The Great White Hope

Anyone who has ever spoken in public has put their foot in their mouth at one time or another. I remember attending a luncheon honoring Topeka Capital-Journal columnist Zula Bennington Greene who was being honored for her 50 years in journalism. I was told she was retiring, and in my remarks, when I mentioned her retirement, she spoke up, with shock in her voice, and said "What? I'm not retiring. Am I being fired?" It took 5 minutes of cajoling and apologizing from the T C-J's publisher, John Stauffer, and me to assure her she was not being retired.

Well, Rep. Lynn Jenkins did it last week when she spoke at a forum in Hiawatha. Asked who the rising stars in the Republican Party were who might challenge Speaker Nancy Pelosi's leadership, Jenkins rattled off a few names but admitted, "Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope." She denied she was referring to Barack Obama and she plead ignorance as to the origin of the phrase that came into common usage about 100 years ago after the fighter, Jack Johnson, a black man, became the World Heavyweight Champion.

From Wikipedia: "The term, "the great white hope," reflects the racism and segregation of the era in which Johnson fought. It could be argued that Johnson, the first African American to hold the World Heavyweight Championship title, was the best fighter of his generation. Yet, white reaction against Johnson's win and his very public relationships with white women was so strong that, in 1912, the United States Congress, concerned that scenes of Johnson pummeling white boxers would cause race riots, passed a law making it illegal to transport prizefight films across state lines. "The great white hope" is a reference to the boxer whom whites hoped would finally defeat Johnson."

Perhaps even more embarrassing to Rep. Jenkins was the acknowledgment from her spokeswoman, Mary Geiger, that just one month earlier, Jenkins had co-sponsored a House resolution urging a presidential pardon for Johnson's crimes. The resolution included the offensive phrase, but stunningly, Jenkins' spokeswoman said the representative had not read the resolution before she voted on it.

I can excuse the representative's statement made off-the-cuff at a public forum, but is it a sound defense for her spokeswoman, with plenty of time for reflection, to admit she votes on measures without reading them---even resolutions she co-sponsors? Not reading the bill is what gets our elected representatives into trouble and it should not be tolerated. Another one who doesn't excuse Jenkins is Keith Olbermann who named her the Second Worst Person in the World on September 1, 2009 and interviewed Rep. Maxine Waters regarding her verbal error. The clips to Olbermann's show are provided since he is on MSNBC and you may not have ever heard of Olbermann.

Zack Greinke

Zack is the only reason to track the woeful Royals over the last month of the season. He should win his first Cy Young Award, unless he is jobbed out of it by the East-Coast bias of many of the baseball writers who vote on the award. Yesterday, Boston-based Jackie Macmullan, gave the East-Coast argument for CC Sabathia and against Zack. She said she excuses CC's ERA that is 1 run higher than Zack's because he pitches half his games in the Yankee Stadium homer palace. There are at least two problems with this argument.

No. 1. CC's ERA at home and away is virtually identical. It is 3.48 overall, 3.54 at home and 3. 43 away. Yankee Stadium has a miniscule effect on CC's ERA. BTW, Zack's overall ERA is 2.32.

No. 2. Zack's ERA would be even lower if he ever got to pitch against the most woefully inept offense in the League---the Royals. CC's ERA against the Royals this year is 0.00. 1 game, 7.2 innings, no runs.

Jackie also excused CC because he has to pitch in the "oh-so-tough" AL East. In truth, his ERA against BAL, BOS & TOR is lower than his overall average. His ERA against TB is 5.93 and it is over 6 against Florida and the LAAngels. In the reverse of Zack's situation, CC benefits ERA-wise because he doesn't have to pitch against the best offense in the League---the Yankees. Zack hasn't pitched against the Yankees this year yet, but they play 3 in NY at the end of September. KC should let him pitch in the Big Apple with the Cy Young Award on the line.

Ron Vine

Mike, his name is Ron Vine not Ron Vines as you write in your most recent column. How tough is it to get a name right, especially when your job was to cover City Hall? Here is what he looked like. He still looks a lot like this today. He was one of the ablest public administrators the City of Topeka ever employed.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Kind of cool, isn't it.

Did you see the B-2 Bomber?

Around 10 am, I was just about finished with my morning walk when I heard a jet's roar overheard. I'm a former pilot (licensed, but with a lapsed medical) and I always look to see what kind of plane is making the sound. Today, it was a B-2, stationed at nearby Whiteman AFB in Missouri. What a beautiful sight!

Happy Birthday Dad!`

Charles W. Wright, former Topeka mayor, will celebrate his 90th birthday Aug. 17, 2009.

Chuck is publisher of Christmas Trees Magazine, and he is active in many community organizations.

The family congratulates our dad, grandfather, and great-grandfather for all the love, support and generosity he has given us over the years.

Please join us in wishing him a "Happy Birthday" by sending cards to his home or to P.O. Box 107, Lecompton, KS 66050.

Honduras has won!

Good news for all who love democracy. Here.

Atlas Shrugged

I just finished reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It was never required reading for me in any class I took. Rand, who considered it her masterwork, wrote and published it just after World War II, but is still fresh and relevant today...more so because of its message of individualism, seeking personal happiness, ownership of private property and limited government. It is nearly 1,100 pages of small print, but I can now answer the question, "Who is John Galt?"

Hall Watch

One of my favorite columnist/bloggers is Joe Posnanski of the KC Star, and soon to be Senior Writer at Sports Illustrated. Since the Kansas City Royals made the ill-advised trade for Yuniesky Betancourt, JoPo has kept a Yuni-Watch, cataloging Yuni's futility at the plate and is incompetence as a major league shortstop. It has been brutal, but it is now over as JoPo has announced he has made his point, and he won't be continuing his watch as he transitions to SI. I have a suggestion for a replacement which will track incompetence---the Hall Watch---which documents the inability of T C-J columnist Mike Hall to write anything of interest. Again this week, Hall's column fails to generate any comments. Not one. And, there are plenty of crazies who add their comments to the other columns and articles in the T C-J on a daily basis. Hall is on a three-week streak generating more "no comments" than a beleaguered Congressman being asked about Obamacare.

HHS Secretary Sebelius and ObamaCare

Do you think Kathleen Sebelius is homesick for Kansas? See for yourself.



Later....

Catching up on a few odds & ends

Mike Hall. He's still mailing it in...only now he's laughably absurd. His latest column begins, "I know from your comments...." In truth, his columns are so bland they never generate any comments. This column in particular, dredges up a name from the past, former T C-J writer, Leslie Guild, who was, in my humble opinion, a disaster as a reporter. She tended to engage in rumor-mongering, always from "anonymous" sources. At first, I complained at the unfairness of me having to respond on the record to some anonymously-sourced rumor. When, as a matter of fairness, I stopped responding, she wrote the story anyway, with the mere fact it was seen in writing, giving it more credibility than it deserved.


Honduras. With each passing day, doesn't it seem more and more likely that the Obama administration picked the wrong horse to support in Honduras? Some commentators have raised the suggestion of corruption.

Topeka Police Department. Judge Nancy Parrish dismissed the criminal charges pending against off-duty police officer Jason Judd. The charges were filed 1 1/2 years ago by a desperate District Attorney, trying to score some points and get himself re-elected, rather than seeing that justice was done. In this sense, there is a similarity between his actions and President Obama's statement that the Cambridge Massachusetts Police Officer "acted stupidly" in arresting Obama's friend, Skip Gates, for disorderly conduct, in his own home. In both cases, the powerful badly misjudged public sentiment that detests rude behavior, whether it is the Llamas brothers playing their music too loud at 2 in the morning or a college professor seeing racism where there is none. That DA Hecht and President Obama supported people who had behaved rudely caused a great many citizens to choose sides, and to come down on the side of public civility.

Where Have I Been?

I've been on the road for the past week, vacationing in California. Here is the view of the Pacific Ocean I had from the California beach house where I was staying. Those are my feet. Thanks to Anne, Craig & Sarah and Martin & Cindy for their generosity and hospitality.

Honduras

It continues to look like the Obama administration has positioned the U.S. on the wrong side of the governmental crisis in Honduras. Here are the most recent comments of Roger Noreiga and Miguel Estrada. Estrada, whose nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals by President George W. Bush was filibustered and defeated by the Democrats in the Senate, is a native of Honduras, having been born in the capital of Teguciagalpa.

The City Budget

On Tuesday, the City Manager presented his proposed budget for the City of Topeka for 2010. He calls for spending $224.5 million on municipal operations, but the focus of the story in the T C-J is on the mill levy which the City Manager proposes to increase by 1.85 mills. Annually, Topeka's paper of record engages in this silly exercise of viewing the City's budget and the Council's budgeting process as merely an exercise in setting the City's mill levy. It is much more than this.

Currently, the City levies 32.682 mills, or about 23% of the overall mill levy. By comparison, USD 501 (54.74 mills) and Shawnee County (40.117) impact the mill levy for a Topeka resident more than the City. Moreover, the property tax dollars raised by the City's portion of the mill levy are a small part of the funds the City raises annually. For example, the money the City raises from the sales tax dwarfs the property tax revenues. The 2009 Budget (see page 18) includes $11.8 million from property taxes and $28 million from sales taxes. In fact, the City Budget provides for more money from licenses and permits ($12.9 million) than the property tax.

The Topeka Capital-Journal would provide a better service to the public if it concentrated the stories about the municipal budget on how the City Manager proposes to spend the money. After all, the budget sets the City's priorities for the year. What are those priorities and how do they match up with the City Council's? How do they match up with yours?

Mailin' it In

Local T C-J columnist, Mike Hall, regularly mails it in with his periodic (is it once/week; twice/month ?) columns. Today's is no exception. With cutbacks throughout the newspaper industry, and a story about every month concerning the efforts of Morris Communications, T C-J's owner, to refinance their debt, one has to wonder how this man keeps his job.

A sign of "Mailin' it In" is the absence of comments.

***Editor's Note: I have no comments to my posts because I have a circulation of One. To my knowledge, not even my family is aware that "from wright field" exists. Hall's columns are circulated to a wide audience that doesn't comment, in my opinion, because of the content.

Topeka Fire Department

I blogged a few days ago about the public image of the Topeka Police Department. Today, Howard Giles announced his resignation as Topeka's Fire Chief. The leaders of both of these two departments came from outside Topeka. Giles came from Georgia and Police Chief Ron Miller came from Kansas City, Kansas. During the past 2 years, Giles has been subjected to a barrage of complaints about his leadership.

Those complaints originated with the leaders of the firefighters' union. Clearly, morale is low in both departments and the public image of them is bad as well. The police officers seem too quick to protect their own rather than protecting the citizens. The firefighters are simply whiners who chose to take public their complaints about their boss.

There is no question that there is a connection between these outside hires and the internal problems with the departments. There are many well-qualified firefighters and police officers who could lead these departments, and the local officials who will select a new Fire Chief need to find someone within the department to provide new leadership.

Honduras

Honduras is a country that perhaps only a few people could pinpoint on a map of Central America. But, the events unfolding in this small country may have large and long-lasting implications for the U.S. . The democratically-elected President, Manuel Zelaya, tried to have the Honduran Constitution amended so he could remain President beyond his term, just as his friend and ally, Hugo Chavez, had done in Venezuela. The Supreme Court and the military refused to go along with the plan and the Court ordered Zelaya arrested and escorted out of the country. Roberto Micheletti, the person next in the line of succession, was installed by Congress as the interim Honduran President. It appears the rule of law that we Americans cherish was followed in Honduras, yet our President, Barack Obama has decried the "coup" and voiced support for Zelaya's restoration to power. So have Fidel Castro and the aforementioned Hugo Chavez. Here is a Reuters summary of the situation.

On July 5, Zelaya attempted to fly into the Honduran capital, but the military blocked the runway and the plane was unable to land. The military fired tear gas into a crowd of Zelaya's supporters. More on the situation here.

There is a local connection. Roger Noriega (pictured above) served George W. Bush as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the time Chavez consolidated his control and power in Venezuela. Noriega is a 1981 graduate of Washburn University and began his career in government working for then-Kansas Secretary of State Jack Brier. More about Noriega's thoughts on the Honduras crisis may be found at his America Enterprise Institute biographical webpage. Expect to see more of Noriega and hear from him over the next few days.

Two days ago we celebrated our Independence Day. Today, with thoughts of freedom and independence still ringing in my ears, my thoughts and prayers are with those Hondurans standing up for the rule of law in their country. May the U.S. recognize the error we made in supporting oppression and thuggery over freedom and independence.

4th of July

The Collins Park Parade is the best neighborhood celebration of the Fourth of July in Topeka. This year marks the 37th year for this event that was begun by four local mothers whose kids were bored. The Moms broke out the pots and pans, kazoos and party hats and had the kids march around the Park. The next year, the Parade was larger, and it just grew from then on. At the time, I was living in the Collins Park neighborhood, so I still retain privileges to return every year to join in the party. My friends Frank, Melissa and Ainsley celebrated in style this year.

Thanks

Thanks to you, George Washington; and to you John Adams; and to you fine gentlemen from Virginia, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe and James Madison; and to Ben Franklin. And thanks to you, David McCullough, and to you, too, Peggy Noonan, for telling their story so splendidly.

4th of July

Fireworks I'd like to see on the 4th of July.

The Topeka Police Department

The TPD has always been a proud and trustworthy organization composed of good men and women. I am honored to have worked closely with many of them over the years. However, a couple of recent incidents have harmed the image of the department. The incident that occurred on St. Patricks Day 2008 involving four young off-duty officers and the Llamas brothers continues to fester in the local media. Here is the most recent story from the Cap-Journal.

A few weeks ago, another young off-duty officer was booked into jail for DUI. He has since resigned from the department.

The image of the Topeka Police Department will survive the damage done to it by these incidents, but the TPD owes it to the Topeka community to purge itself of the bad apples and do a better job of selecting young men and women to serve. Officers need comprehensive training and they need to understand that their actions, whether they are on-duty or off, always are a reflection on the entire organization.

My favorite car

During my college years, I owned a 1966 Pontiac GTO coupe that looked just like this. I sold it just before I was married because my wife could not handle the clutch and the power of the engine. I traded it in on a 1970 Ford Mustang that provides me with absolutely no fond memories at all. I will know I have made it in this life when I am able to re-purchase this car.

Bryan Busby and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I'm not a follower of Bryan Busby, the weatherman on KMBC-TV, Channel 9 in KC, and I'm not a Mormon, but this is really neat.

Garmin Nuvi 255

I'm traveling to California in a couple of weeks and I'll be driving between Santa Barbara and San Diego, so I used an Amazon Gift Card that I had left over from Christmas to buy a Garmin Nuvi 255. I haven't used it yet, but I'm already amazed at its' ability to store so much information in such a little package.

Update: The Nuvi 255 worked great. We could not have navigated around Southern California without it.