Random Bytes: Rolling Stones, Metallica, Love, Knight Rider, and Jesus Obama

.......[c]2007 by
Richard L Zorek

.........04.03.07............The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards confessed that he snorted cocaine with his father. His father was dead already, though, and what Richards snorted was cocaine with his dads cremated ashes. Street value of cremated ashes has now increased...................The parents of a baby in Sweden are fighting to have her named Metallica, after the heavy metal band. Swedish officials declined the name because of it. Had they been in America, we name kids all kind of questionable names like Dweezil, Moon Unit, and Rosie O'Donnell..............It's spring! Time for Love American Style: Domestic shootings in Washington and Atlanta this week. Doesn't love mean never having to say "reload?"...................Kitt, the talking car from the 80s TV show, Knight Rider, is for sale for about $149,000 in California. Not a surprise considering that gas is almost $4 a gallon there. Even Kitt can't talk himself out of that price..............A Chicago Art School student has created a statue of Jesus that looks a lot like Barack Obama. in fact, it is supposed to. Didn't the Democrats promise they would walk on water if they got control of the Senate?. At least that's the way I heard it...............

Random Bytes: Funkhouser, Green Water, Rockhurst, Star Wars & Pot

.[c]2007 by
Richard L Zorek

.........03.26.07............
Tommorrow people will vote for a new mayor in Kansas City: Funkhouser vs Brooks. Brooks is upset because Funkhouser visited what Funkhouser referred to as "average residents in the black side of town" because Brooks is relying on the vote from the "average residents in the black side of town." ......................North Kansas City homes have been told that the green water isn't harmful. "It's OK for average residents from the green side of town to drink it," water department officials said.............................Students from Rockhurst spent the night sleeping in cardboard boxes and then will spend the week eating rice and beans in order to draw attention to the plight of the homeless in Kansas City. If it doesnt draw attention to them, then the smell may drive them out of the area....................Star Wars "R2D2" mailboxes will be showing up around the Kansas City area just in time for "The Force" to take all your tax money....................An Independence man shot at an animal control officer last week. It turns out that he was growing marijuana in his basement. The animal control officer arrested the two pit bulls for possession. At least that's the way I heard it.......

Freedom of Religion vs Freedom From Religion: Never These Paths Should Cross

.......03.24.07....[C]2007 by Richard L Zorek........It was Pearl S Buck who is quoted as having said, "When men destroy their old Gods, they will fimd new ones to take their place."

I am reminded of that as I have read some of the dialogue on various internet blogs in light of the Kansas City Star's publication of the articles about First Family Church written by Judy L Thomas. The articles did not deal with any theological issues of the church, but largely suggested a lot of financial irresponsibility on the part of its leader, Dr Jerry Johnston. As I have said before many times, I cannot defend or not defend the allegations. The articles left a lot of questions unanswered and left a lot of possibilites which will have the blanks filled in by the imagination of whoever is reading it and however they want it to be understood. And there is wide variety of "imaginations" who are offering their opinions.

I, of course, believe in free speech and free press. But, I also believe in the freedom to question that motivation. Why would the KC Star include the information that Judy L Thomas is a member of the Methodist Church of Resurrection? A moot point considering the focus of the article. Not if the Star wished to fuel a "war" between the two congregations which are far apart from each other on the political and doctrinal extremes. Thomas, as I wrote in an earlier article, is the co-author of a book (Wrath of Angels) which basically suggests that anti-abortion activists are violent because of frustration (She lived in Wichita during the time when "Operation Rescue" was very active in the area). Johnston, of course, is an outspoken leader against abortion in the Kansas City area. Though none of these things were mentioned in the article, it just wreaks of a suspicious motive. However, imagine the Star articles working to the real extreme and First Family Church is dissolved (not likely, of course, but what if?). Will that stop the "anti-abortion" movement? No, of course not.

Extinguish ones church leader and they will find another. At least as long as freedom of religion remains free in America. To me, that is what is at issue with the article. Those who are not part of First Family Church, nor believe as they do, jump on the bandwagon to see it "exposed." What, then, will stop another writer with another agenda from exposing your church or religion for whatever they wish to "expose?" Let him who is without sin cast the first stone? Or, he who lives in a glass house....... This is where the ground becomes dangerous and the need to proceed needs to be with utmost caution.

Random Bytes: Soda, Wolfgang Puck, John Edwards, Bill Clinton, and Sanjaya

.......[c]2007 by
Richard L Zorek

.........03.22.07............
A report in the Academy of General Dentistry Journal reports that if you put your teeth in soda for 48 hours, it will damage the enamel. So, do not swim in your Mountain Dew..............................Wolfgang Puck has made a change in his restaurant menus and will only serve animals that have been treated humanely while they were alive. This allows them to be fried with dignity.................Democratic candidate John Edwards is pressing on with his campiagn in spite of his wife's recurring cancer. He is a congressman, so, of course, he and his wife have health care........................Simon and Schuster plans to publish a book about Bill Clintons favorite subject, entitled "Wrestling History: The Bill Clinton Tapes." It includes intimate interviews with Clinton while he was in the White House. The steamy illicit sex scenes were deleted, so the book is very short........................ and hell froze over while Sanjaya survived another week on American Idol. At least that's the way I heard it.................................

Random Bytes: TIF Audits, President Bush, and the "evil" Mennonites...

....[c]2007 by
Richard L Zorek

.........03.21.07............Mayor Kay Barnes is upset about the TIF report from the auditors office indicating a $233 million shorfall in revenue. Candidate Funkhouser, who was the auditor, started the audit and it was finished by acting city auditor Gary White. Mayor Barnes now wants the auditors office audited to weed out numbers that are not loyal to her agenda...................President Bush came to Kansas City and toured the Ford Plant in Claycomo and the General Motors plant in Fairfax. He applauded efforts to use ethanol, which is made from corn seed. He suggested that it would be great if fuel could be developed from wood chips or switchgrass. I think it would be a boost for everyones economy if fuel could be developed from dandelions.................Missouri is chasing the Mennonites out of the state by enacting laws which force everyone to have a picture ID on a license. Mennonites do not believe they should photograph themselves as it is a "graven image." The law is designed to make people more secure although it is not clear how the Mennonites threaten Missouri or how the increase in Kansas City gang warfare would be decreased if all the gang members had photo IDs. At least that's the way I heard it..........

Random Bytes: KCI Airport, Lenexa, Extreme Makeover, Funkhouser vs Brooks

.....[c]2007 by
Richard L Zorek

.........03.13.07............Kansas City International Airport has a new piece of art called "Strange Attractor of Kansas City," designed to suggest future travel through "wormholes or time machines" as concieved through the illustrations of Stephen Hawking. It was not announced what the cost of wormhole travel will be or if there will be first class and coach time travel..................Lenexa also has a work of art located near 87th street and I-35. It is called "Lenexas Wormhole". That name sounded more creative than "Bridge With No Purpose." Designers say it originally had a purpose and was to connect with 75th street, but the budget didnt have enough money to complete it and may not be completed until 2011. Until then, it is a wonderful display of concrete engineering which will probably need to be rebuilt by 2011 in order to meet safety standards...................ABC's Extreme Makeover is building a house in North Kansas City. They originally were brought here by a tearful request from Mayor Kay Barnes to build a new stadium for the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, the Penguins renegotiated with Pittsburgh and will stay there. So, the Jacobos family from North Kansas City were next on the list and got a visit from Ty Pennington and the crew on Sunday morning. "Wake up, Mayor Barnes and Penguins," Ty yelled, but quickly realized he had the wrong script and corrected himself. Ty said he thought it seemed like kind of a small neighborhood for a hockey stadium. The Jacobos have twelve people living in the house, though, so Extreme Makeover may need to build a stadium anyway. If they can't build a big enough house, the Sprint Center is available and Mayor Barnes is offering free rent........................Mark Funkhouser and Al Brooks held a small debate/forum for the Latino community at the Guadaloupe Center. Neither speak Spanish and never understood any of the questions. At least that's the way I heard it..... ........

Kansas City Inquirer...for Inquiring Minds??

[c]2007 by Richard L Zorek

........03.11.07....Judy L. Thomas has been a reporter for The Kansas City Star since 1995. She previously worked for the Wichita Eagle. Among various subjects, her specialty has been covering issues to do with abortion and and what she refers to as "right-wing extremist groups." Thomas won a national Society of Professional Journalists award for her series, "AIDS in the Priesthood.'' She is the co-author (with James Risen) of "Wrath of Angels: The American Abortion War," which was published by BasicBooks in 1998. Basically, it is one of many tiring books from the left about the right and tries to add another uneducated theory on what makes "the religious right" work, but fails to explain who or what this "religious right" is. The books conclusions suggest that such people (or at least the active anti-abortion activists) are all prone to violence because of frustration. L Brent Bozell (Media Research Center) wrote of her "AIDS in the Priesthood" article "Accuracy wasn't the point of Thomas' Kansas City Star article, overthrowing traditional catholicism is." He based his opinion on her bias on her books and past writings which clearly indicate her anti-right, anti catholic bias. It appears to be a passion of hers to actively undermine anything she believes is pro-abortion, pro-catholic, and just clearly doesnt share her leftist views. One of her latest attacks is on Pastor Jerry Johnston of First Family Church in Overland Park and an "expose" on current and past fiscal responsibliity with debts and the IRS. Though I cannot defend or not defend any allegation, I have to wonder why the Kansas City Star passes off such articles as non-bias "investigative journalism" when clearly Thomas has no "unbias" objective. Pastor Johnston is very outspoken against the issue of abortion, among other issues. Is the Kansas City Star going to become the "Kansas City Inquirer?"

Random Bytes: Penguins, Lesbians, Kansan

.......[c]2007 by
Richard L Zorek

.........03.07.07............Officials in Kansas City have offered the Pittsburgh Penguins free rent if they relocate to KC. Officials? OK, it is Mayor Kay Barnes who has never minded trying to improve the city while passing the expense to its residents. The Penguins are also looking at Las Vegas. As long as Barnes is in office, though, the Penguins gamble in KC are probably more favorable with unlimited stakes..................A couple engaging in overtly sexual activity were asked to leave a IHOP (International House of Pancakes) in Grandview by the manager because the restuarant is a "family establishment" and the activity was innapropriate after several complaints. The couple claims "discrimination" because they were lesbian. Apparently being overtly sexual in public is wrong unless you are lesbian...................Kansas is moving a bill through the Senate to make "English" the offical state language. The orginal bill has designated "Kansan" as the state language. At least that's the way I heard it...